Campaign to upgrade town's sports courts launched

An appeal to upgrade a town's sports courts has been launched, with campaigners saying the revamp would boost people's fitness and community pride.

The Ethel Ward sports courts in Haxby, near York, were last resurfaced in 1999 and are in such a poor condition that they cannot be used by Haxby Netball Club, with players travelling to other facilities to train.

The club has teamed up with Haxby Runners and Haxby Town FC and JFC to raise money to create "a safe, inclusive multi-sport hub" for groups to use.

Liz Henley, who helped organise the fundraiser, said if the courts were successfully restored it would "bring engagement and community pride" to the town.

"If you have something that's not well looked after in the middle of your town, it's a bit of an eyesore and it's not great," she said.

"It could bring so many more people together - fitness is good for everybody but not everyone has access to it, so this will give more options."

The sports courts are located on Ethel Ward Playing Fields, community land held in trust by Haxby Town Council, and leased to the sports teams which use the space.

Formerly the pleasure gardens of Haxby Hall, an 18th Century house demolished in 1960, the land was donated to the town a decade earlier by then-owner John Ward.

A spokesperson for Haxby Town Council, which manages the site, said the authority "fully supported" the fundraising appeal and that it would "greatly help to secure the long term future of the facility and deliver lasting health and fitness benefits".

In 2023, a previous campaign raised money to install new fencing, floodlights and an accessible entrance to the courts, to cater for a variety of uses, including football.

However, the money did not extend to resurfacing the courts, leaving them "not safe or fit for purpose," according to Marion Bounds, chair of Haxby Netball Club.

She said the team had previously travelled as far as Easingwold, 11.9 miles (19km) away, to play.

"It's not ideal because we'd like to keep the sport in the village, and allow people to play in our home ground," she said.

Matt Boggan, chair of Haxby Town FC and David Blackmore, chair of the junior team, said the teams had nowhere nearby to train in winter, as their pitches are not lit.

"We have to go four or five miles down the road, which is not massively out the way but we've got a lot of young lads playing for us and not all of them can drive," Mr Boggan said.

Mr Blackmore added that he thought restoring the courts would improve participation in sports.

"We have much better engagement from players when it's a local area they can come to, and parents can come to watch," he said.

The fundraiser is currently set at £12,500, which would be matched by a grant from Sports England if the target is reached by January 20.

Resurfacing the sports courts is part of a wider ambition for the Ethel Ward Playing Fields, with a future aim to develop the pavilion into a shared sports hub.

Lydia Szczerbicki from Haxby Runners said she felt it was "imperative" that residents came together to support local causes, especially when they could benefit the wider area.

"We're really proud to be a community," she said.

"I think it's really good if you can see something that's vibrant and has a heart, and that local people can get involved in."

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