A RIBBLE Valley school and football club has officially opened new football pitches following a £200,000 revamp.

St Augustine’s High School and Wilpshire Wanderers Foot-ball Club received local and county council support as well as Football Foundation funding to install a new drainage system at pitches at the Billington school.

Representatives from the school, club, Ribble Valley Council, Lancashire County Council and the Lancashire Football Association attended a ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday to mark their official opening.

“There was a lack of suitable top class playing fields in the Ribble Valley area and we set up a bid team to try and secure funding to install a completely new drainage system,” said Phil Hartley a member of the bid team.

“The community partner from was with Wilpshire Wand-erers who have been very active in the process from the outset.”

The successful bid included £130,000 from the Football Foundation, £69,000 from Lanc-ashire Council Council and a further £5,000 from Ribble Valley Council plus additional funding from the school and club.

The site, on playing fields at St Augustine’s High School, now boasts two full size pitches, one dual rugby/football pitch, two 9x9 pitches, two mini soccer pitches plus training grid areas.

Hartley added: “The LFA have also been a key partner and they offered us superb technical advice and without whom we would not have put together a successful bid.”