by Kevin Redsull

Three organisations in the Ashford and district area are celebrating the award of a £50,000 National Lottery grant.

Kennington Cricket Club, Hamstreet & District Sports & Leisure Association and Pluckley Parish Council all successfully applied for funding from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund, which is part of the £135 million "Places People Play" Olympic legacy programme.

Kennington CC will use their windfall to help pay for a new £100,000 clubhouse at their Ulley Road ground, which they are hoping will be completed by the start of next season.

Treasurer John Cunningham said: "We are a thriving club and the new clubhouse can only help that.

"Apart from having two adult teams on a Saturday and one on a Sunday, we also now run five junior teams from under-12 to under-16. We now have over 100 juniors at the club whereas five years ago we didn’t have any."

Hamstreet residents will only have a short wait before they can use their new £300,000 pavilion after Hamstreet & District Sports & Leisure Association received a £49,428 grant toward the cost.

The association made the official announcement about the award grant on Wednesday to coincide with the Olympic Torch passing through the village.

Spencer Goddard, chief fund-raiser for the two-and-a-half year project, said: "The old pavilion was literally an old shack but the new one is a state-of-the-art pavilion which the people of Hamstreet and the surrounding area will be able to feel proud of.

"The building is finished externally and this grant award will enable us to finish it off internally and it now includes disabled access."

Pluckley Parish Council, meanwhile, are going to use their £50,000 to complete the upgrading of the village ‘rec’ facilities.

Chairman Martin Newman said: "This money will enable us to finish off improving the Recreation Ground, which has been a two-year project.

"We have already put in a new play area and car park, as well as perimeter fencing all the way around the playground for security.

"Now we will be able to extend the sports pavilion to our storage area, which the cricket and football clubs will be able to use and also the (Pluckley CofE) primary school opposite, who at the moment have to lug their games equipment across the road every time they use the rec."