Plea made to stop the rot

A total of £30,000 is needed to repair Bingham Town Pavilion and save it for the future.

Bingham Rugby Club, which leases the building from Bingham Town Council, has asked the council to cover the cost.

The pavilion, next to Wynhill playing fields, was opened in 1989.

It was a former bank in Oxford and was transported to Bingham to be used as the rugby club and town pavilion.

The wooden structure was put on a concrete base but now the bottom section of the building is rotting.

Mr Jim Tennant, the club steward, said that it would be tragic if the facility was lost in the town because the work could not be carried out.

He said the venue was very popular for private functions at night, as well as groups including Weight Watchers.

Mr Tennent said the club’s manager, Mr John Milton, noticed the poor state of the building when his brush sank into the wood as he painted the exterior at the end of last season.

Panels of wood were replaced in the past, but now many of the panels are in a bad state and the club plan to replace the whole of the bottom section of the building with brick.

Plumbing would also have be changed.

Mr Bob Buchannon, the rugby club’s chairman, wrote to the council after speaking to a contractor who said the work would cost around £30,000.

The club has a 30-year lease to use the building.

But Mr Buchannon said other groups hired the building on a regular basis so the club decided to approach the council for help because it was not just for the use of the rugby club members.

Mr Buchannon said: “We have a lot of support for the club and a lot of youngsters in Bingham have played for us.

“There isn’t anywhere like it in Bingham. We are very lucky to have this facility.”

The rugby club estimates that the building would last around another five years without the work, but wants to have the repairs done before the building starts to sink.

Work carried out on the interior already includes a new bar, kitchen and ladies’ toilets, which has all been paid for by the club.

The club is looking to improve the changing facilities and is prepared to pay for all the work because the community does not use that section.

Mr Buchannon said: “We have got to make it look smarter. We are trying to get the outside to be just as smart as the inside.”

He said that when the work went ahead, minimal disruption would occur for the groups that used the facility.

The council wants to see an uo-to-date copy of the lease and the auditor’s account before making a decision on the money.