Youngsters demanding better sports facilities in Market Drayton have been urged to work with sports groups and town councillors to realise their dreams.
The call was made by north Shropshire MP Owen Paterson after a series of meetings involving youngsters from schools in the area that are part of the Market Drayton Joint Schools Council.
The most recent meeting was attended by Mr Paterson, along with Shropshire councillor for Drayton David Minnery and town councillor Stephen Glover.
Joint Schools Council members launched a petition alongside the meeting for Shropshire Council to build an all-weather sports pitch on the Grove School site in Newcastle Road. They also hope to revive plans put forward by the town council four years ago for a sports centre to built on land close to the A53 bypass.
Grove head of physical education Andy Barber said: “We really need to make a massive effort to push for some new sports facilities here as it’s embarrassing to think that there’s nothing in Market Drayton.
“We’ve had county hockey players who have given up because they’ve been relying on parents to take them to Whitchurch to train and play matches.
“But it’s not just hockey, it’s many sports: the whole county has moved on but Market Drayton hasn’t.
“I think the town has proved that it has the volunteers who can run sports facilities but they’re doing it in a frustrating manner because there aren’t the facilities here that other areas have.”
The town council spent around £2,000 in 2006 on a report about future sporting requirements in Market Drayton which recommended that an artificial pitch suitable for football, rugby and hockey should be built for £450,000.
The scheme included changing facilities, security fencing and floodlights.
Mr Paterson said: “The current facilities are totally inadequate and we had a clear plan several years ago which was put on hold because of the new unitary council.
“There has to be a concrete plan between the schools, Greenfields Sports Association and Market Drayton Town Council. Then we can start pushing it forward with Shropshire Council.”
By Winston Brown