John McGuckin (below) welcomed Darlington’s Deputy Mayor and everyone present to the grand opening of Heighington’s new sports changing room facilities and hoped the playing fields area would develop into a centre of excellence for all sports.
The need was established from a Parish Plan and a village survey. Residents set out their hopes and aspirations for sporting facilities in the village, reducing the need to travel. The project was started by a successful bid for funding to the Football Foundation enabling former grazing pasture to be turned into three, F.A. standard, fully drained and levelled, football pitches.
Darlington Council, in conjunction with Heighington Parish Council, provided a 48 bay car park and traffic calming measures. This has been advantageous in easing traffic congestion during peak school times, and provides convenient parking for sports players and their supporters.
The children’s play area is very popular and was installed thanks to the efforts of a group of village ladies, who gained match funding and maintenance of the park by the Parish Council.
Parish Councillors worked very hard to raise funds for the Multi Use Games Area, the MUGA, enabling netball, basketball, tennis and 5-a-side football to be played.
The next project is a skate park, for which funds are being raised after the idea was presented to the Parish Council by local school children.
A wetland area has been established by the Village Baden Powell Scouts Group, as a memorial to their former scout leader, the late Andy Muckley, and their present scout leader’s late wife, Natasha Wilson. 40 oak trees are planted as living memorials to members of village families and friends.
Heighington Pre-School Group has established an allotment in the north-western corner, growing all manner of fruit and vegetables, much to the delight and education of the children involved.
The building project was made possible by a grant of £50,000 from the Olympic Legacy Fund,
Other funding came from local tradesmen, businesses and professional people, monetary donations and a host of local volunteers including the footballers themselves, who provided the much needed skills and labour, This was a true community action and the skills displayed were marvellous to witness.
The changing rooms were built to F.A. standards and achieved by hard work and dogged determination of the Parish Council and the former clerk.
A special thank to Matthew Teare, one of the teenagers from the village who gave up his school holidays to help in the completion of the changing facilities, putting in full days of work without complaint, showing that teenagers can get involved in village projects. This young man typifies what community spirit is about, and he shows that the future of the village is in safe hands.
A huge thanks was extended to village champion, Councillor Brian Anderson, without whom the changing rooms, and the field would not have been possible. He and aspiring paralympian, Keiron Maxwell, were asked to cut the ribbon and officially open the Heighington Parish Sports Field Changing Facilities.
