RUGBY in Chard received a major boost when the club was chosen by the RFU to be the recipient of one of the Transforming Social Spaces Grants for the 2015 Rugby World Cup which is being staged in England and Wales.

The grant will enhance the club’s social facilities and provide a resource to be used by the local community.

The club will recieve a grant of £10,000 from the RFU which has to be matched with a similar amount raised by the club.

The improved social space will enhance the quality of the rugby experience for everyone using the site and will, in turn, provide more playing opportunities for everyone, especially for those in the 14-24 age bracket.

This investment by the RFU and Chard Rugby club will support the club’s financial sustainability leading into the World Cup and will create a focus for for England 2015 and a lasting legacy for rugby in the Chard area.

The re-designing of the clubhouse, particularly at the lounge end, will help the club raise its profile and encourage more players, volunteers and spectators to use the clubhouse.

It is also hoped it will attract a large number of people to the club to not only watch the Chard sides play but to watch the World Cup matches in a rugby atmosphere at the club.

Work has already started with an extension to the lounge bar already taking shape and it is hoped the whole project will be finished in the next few months.

Melisa Gammage, who has been one of the leading lights in getting the funding and the project underway, said: “The Chard club is delighted that our project was chosen as a recipient for the Transforming Social Spaces Grant.

“We look forward in eager anticipation to a new wave of people and families getting invoved with rugby.

“The RFU investment is greatly appreciated and will help our club to be even better equipped to welcome newcomers.”