Egremont Rugby Union Club has opened the doors on its smart new facilities, marking the end of a long project Ian Marr and his club mates. It has been almost a decade since the club first started trying to get lottery cash for the new facility, and as Copeland MP Jamie Reed cut the ribbon on the new changing rooms all in attendance were in agreement that it had been worth the wait.

Mr Marr had given a detailed presentation on the painstaking work he and others have carried out in order to successfully deliver the project, and he thanked Jamie and his predecessor Jack Cunningham for their assistance. Ian told a clubhouse packed with the great and the good from West Cumbria: "This has been a long hard road; but we’ve got there, and the facilities will mean an exciting new start for Egremont Rugby Union Club. This is not just about the rugby club, it’s about the whole community, and we hope that the community will maximise the use of the facilities. We will be working with local schools and hoping to get more young people active so that they can stay fit and be healthy."

Jamie Reed thanked Ian for the hard work he had put in, and said he was honoured to have been asked to open the new development. He said: "People in West Cumbria don’t live as long as their neighbours in the North, and developments like this will help do something about this. It takes people like Ian and the others who have been involved to make these kind of things happen – and as a Copeland resident I would like to thank them."

The development sees new changing facilities catering for males and females, disabled access and a floodlit all-weather Multi User Games Area. The new facilities, which have cost over £500,000, will hopefully mark the beginning of a new era for the 125 year-old club. The club received a lottery grant, but had to find a huge chunk of the half million themselves. Sellafield Ltd donated £5,000 to the cause, with other grants coming from the Rugby Football Union, West Lakes Renaissance and Copeland Council’s Coalfields fund. The opening event was sponsored by Egremont’s new main club sponsor, EnergySolutions inc. who have agreed a two year package to help the club re-establish itself as a major player on the Cumbrian rugby scene and expand their already impressive youth rugby programme.
The day after the official opening the new changing facilities were used for the first time when Egremont beat a county select side 20-0. It promises to be an exciting year for the club, who are now decked out in a new kit, sponsored by Capes. The club house itself has had a lick of paint and, for the first time in a number of years, there is a real buzz about the place. Player numbers at training have increased (although this reporter has been conspicuous by his absence) and there is genuine hope that the club will be able to field two sides regularly for the first time in a few seasons.
Evidence of this was provided when the first team made a long trip to Leeds in a cup competition and lost narrowly, 11-8, while at home the second string – featuring a number of players not seen at the club in a while, and even some RU virgins – came from behind to beat a well drilled Carlisle side 17-15. The excellent youth system at the club is also up and running for the season, with junior sides starting as young as under eights.
The feel good factor seems to have returned to Bleach Green – long may it continue!