ILMINSTER Town have been able to improve the playing surface of their pitch thanks to a grant of £3,000 from the Sport England Flood Relief Fund.

The Blues lost their main pitch due to flooding for 12 weeks last season which had an impact not only on the football but also on the club’s finances.

Secretary Andy Fish said: “The main pitch has now been over-seeded, Verti drained, and 30 tonnes of sand has been added. Without this grant and due to our reduced income, we would not have been able to have this work done.

“Hopefully we will not have the floods that we had last year which were unprecedented, but if we do, our pitch will be in much better shape than it would have been.”

In February, Sport England launched the £5 million Flood Relief Fund in a bid to help clean up and repair sports pitches and facilities and get them back up and running.

Jennie Price, Chief Executive of Sport England, said: “The storms and floods devastated many sports facilities across England. We want to play our part in helping communities get back to normal, and we are delighted to be able to get this funding to Ilminster Town.”