Funding in place for new pump track in Werrington

Published on 24 June 2021

 A £25,000 grant has been awarded to Werrington Parish Council for the installation of a new pump track at Meigh Road playing fields, after a successful application to British Cycling's Places to Ride capital grants programme.

The funding will be matched by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council to enable a pump track to be installed at the bottom end of the playing fields. 

This project has been a long time in the making, with initial requests for such a facility coming from young people and parents several years' ago. Since then, the Parish Council have conducted a survey and worked with local schools and residents, to identify exactly what was needed, before applying to relevant funders. 

A group of young people will now work with our appointed contractor, Clark & Kent, to agree the final design, before work starts.  The track can be used by riders of all abilities, from beginners to the more advanced.  We will also be working with Lyme Racing Cycle Club to deliver coaching sessions for those wanting to take their cycling further.

Delivered through a unique partnership between British Cycling, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and Sport England, the Places to Ride programme has made £15 million available to ensure a lasting legacy in England from the 2019 UCI Road World Championships. The championships took place in Yorkshire in September 2019.

Zoe Grindey, Clerk at Werrington Parish Council, said: "It is exciting to finally be able to make this happen.  A great deal of work has gone on behind the scenes to get the project to this stage and now I cannot wait to have such an amazing facility in place for our residents to enjoy."

Councillor Mark Deaville, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Sport and Leisure at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council said: "This is a fantastic project which will bring a unique facility not only to Werrington but to the Moorlands as a whole.

"It's a great example of the excellent partnership working between the District and Parish Councils which has resulted in us securing the funding required, including the significant and welcome contribution from British Cycling, to deliver this exciting project.

"We are all looking forward to seeing the finished pump track. It's so important that a wide variety of facilities are provided across the District to enable people to take part in physical activity and we are sure this will be a very popular addition to the mix."

Andy Farr, Head of Business Planning and Transformation at British Cycling, added: "Werrington Parish Council is doing great work to get more people cycling in the Staffordshire Moorlands area, so we are pleased to support their efforts to bring the community together and install a new pump track through Places to Ride."