PR Date: Tuesday, 3 March 2020 - 4:45pm
North Herts District Councillors and staff, the Groundwork Hertfordshire Team and members of the Hitchin Bowls Club gathered in Bancroft Gardens, Hitchin on 3 March to celebrate the official launch of a new Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA), which offers a range of sporting opportunities to the local community.
North Hertfordshire District Council (NHDC) worked in partnership with community charity Groundwork Hertfordshire to install the new outdoor sports court. It took two months to install and cost £180,000. The court was financed with a grant from Sports England, Section 106 money (negotiated between housing developers and the Council to help fund community projects) and NHDC capital funding.
Residents can play a number of different sports on the court including basketball, kickabout football, netball and tennis. Floodlighting has been installed to ensure that those using the court can continue to play into the evening in the darker months.
This new MUGA joins the roll call of MUGAs already installed in North Herts including Avenue Park, Baldock, King George V playing fields and Westmill Community Centre, Hitchin, Jackmans Creamery and Norton Common, Letchworth and Priory Gardens, Royston.
Cllr Steve Jarvis, NHDC’s Executive Member for Environment and Leisure said: “The MUGA in Bancroft Gardens offers a great space to play a variety of different sports with friends and family in the centre of Hitchin. We are really pleased to officially open this facility and we encourage residents to make a booking and try it out for themselves.”
Julia Watts, Senior Landscape Architect at Groundwork said: “We are thrilled to see the MUGA completed. It has been a fantastic project to work on, consulting with the residents in Hitchin to create a space they will use and enjoy. We are pleased to see it in use and to see everyone from the local community enjoying it.”
Members of the public can check availability of the court or book it by calling 01462 474273. Please note that booking is for the court only – equipment such as basketball nets, goals, rackets, balls etc must be provided by the hirer.
To find out more about MUGAs in the district and for further detail on bookings go to www.north-herts.gov.uk/home/leisure/multi-use-games-areas
Get the latest news by email
You can subscribe to get news and service updates by email. It's free, you can choose which topics you’re interested in and you can unsubscribe at any time.