A rugby club is set to have “one of the best facilities in North Hertfordshire” thanks to £150,000 of National Lottery funding from Sport England’s Improvement Fund.

Hitchin Rugby Club is one of 23 projects across England to get the funding, which focuses on minimising the environmental impact of sports facilities.

The money will be used to contribute to the £390,000 cost of a new changing room facility at the club in Old Hale Way, providing six new changing rooms, each with integrated showering facilities.

The upgraded facilities will help reduce the club’s energy bills, with typical savings of between 10% and 20%.

Peter Tasko, project coordinator at Hitchin Rugby Club, said: “We are so grateful for this award which means we hope to put a spade in the ground this summer. We have been very successful at providing rugby in our community but are conscious that our facilities do not match up to the great numbers who use the club. We have almost 500 children playing rugby in our mini and youth teams along with our girls, ladies and men’s teams. They deserve better and thanks to this award and other generous supporters we will be able to deliver some of the best facilities in North Hertfordshire. We also will make these new facilities available to other users of King George V Recreation Ground as we try to embrace many sports within our facilities including football, running and cycling clubs.”