A SPORTS club’s plan to raise £180,000 to lay a new all-weather pitch has received a boost with a £45,000 grant from the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation.

Letchworth Corner Sports Club in Whitehorn Lane is now more than halfway towards its target after raising another £50,000 from members’ fundraising efforts, and hopes to start work in 2014.

The club is home to Letchworth Hockey Club and when the project has been completed it will provide state-of-the-art hockey facilities for the area.

Project manager Bruce Carr said: “This has made a massive difference. It’s another crucial step towards our target and it is important because the Heritage Foundation’s support should help us to raise money from other bodies.”

The club also provides facilities for a junior football club, cricket, bowls and weightlifting clubs, all supported by money made from renting out the artificial pitch to other football clubs.

It also hosts meetings of community groups including scouts and a model aircraft club, and makes the facilities available for local schools. Altogether it has 36,000 visits each year.

Alastair Stewart, head of charitable projects and partnerships for Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, said: “The club and its members should be congratulated on achieving £50,000 towards the refurbishment.

“There is a clear desire for this project to become a reality. Hopefully other funding bodies will add their support for this very valuable sports resource.”

The club raised money from members by asking them to sponsor sections of the new pitch and a range of other drives for donations.