A BURNHAM sports ground is set for a £100,000 spend after securing vital funds towards an upgrade.

Bosses at the BASC Centre in Stoddens Road are celebrating successfully obtaining just over £78,500 towards the project to replace their unsafe grandstand with a much smarter facility to seat around 100 people. The pitch is home to Burnham Rugby Club and the site hosts rugby matches as well as some county games which have attracted crowds of up to 1,000 people.

There will also be a new footpath created which will run to the new grandstand, existing car park and clubhouse.

Spectators will also be sheltered from the rain and can sit in comfort.

Chairman of the rugby club Caine Harding said he was delighted that 80 per cent of the funds had been secured.

He said: “The new grandstand would go along the side of the rugby pitch and would be a covered stand which will really make a difference. We had planning permission a couple of years ago but we needed to decide what to do and of course secure the money and we are almost there with that.”

The money BASC received was part of the RLT3 funding scheme from Sedgemoor District Council which uses cash from developer contributions.

Back in 2009 the BASC ground was given a grant for its £160,000 plans to increase the number of changing rooms by redeveloping some of the 30-year-old block as well as adding new rooms.An RLT3 grant of £8,000 has also been awarded to the East Huntspill Sports Pavilion.

Due to fundraising donations and RLT3 funding, East Huntspill Sports Pavilion has successfully constructed a block of changing facilities for users of their sports pitches.

North Sedgemoor Local History Group has been awarded £896 for its buffer stop project. The buffers will be the start point for the heritage trail displaying a sign to that effect and allowing smart phone users to read more about the railways history.

Meanwhile Burnham Hockey Club has been given £750 to enable the team to purchase an away kit as they would like to look more professional.

Burnbridge Wanderers’ junior football club also uses the fields at BASC for their training and Burnham Cricket Club also plays there.

Burnham Harriers also operates the Burnham Half Marathon and the Brent Knoll run which start from the premises.