SPORTS fans in the Ribble Valley are aiming to raise more than £40,000 to build new changing rooms and a club house.

The changing rooms in Colthurst Jubilee Field were constructed in 1977 and have not been upgraded since.

The ceiling fell in last year and has yet to be replaced.

Now the Rimington Recreation Association is considering plans to replace the existing facilities and also build a new club house on the site.

The scale of the project will only be decided after the group has estimated how much money can be raised for the scheme.

Bob Whittaker, who is an association committee member, said: “We hope to know soon how much money we could raise in the coming 12 months and any improvement on what we have now would be fantastic.

“It would be a huge boost to the village and is long overdue.

“Very little work has been done on the changing rooms since they were built and there has never been a club house there.

“If we don’t raise enough money then we will just have to refurbish the existing facilities as much as possible but we would prefer to knock it down and start again.”

Terry Brathwaite, manager of Rimington Football Club, said: “We have won the East Lancashire League for the last six years and it’s a bit embarrassing that we don’t have a club house.

“New facilities would have a massive impact on everybody who use the park at the moment.

“A lot of money has been put into the ground over the last few years and the changing rooms are a disgrace.

“It would make a world of difference and everyone in the village would benefit from it.

“At the moment we have to go all the way to Clitheroe after the games which is hardly ideal.”

A decision on the scale of the project is expected over the next few months.