A RUGBY league club has received a £25,000 grant from the Copeland Community Fund to support the development of its new indoor facility in Cleator Moor.

Wath Brow Hornets were awarded an initial grant of £100,000 to kick-start the project in May from the Rugby League World Cup “Created By” capital grants programme.

The state-of-the-art training facility has been hailed as a safe place to nurture the future of the game as well as a boon for the community. Youth chairman Martin Brough said: “From the youth side of things it’s going to be a fantastic asset for the club and the community as a whole.”

Brough added that the space will be used for more than the Wath Brow teams’ training sessions, such as fitness classes for the community.

Hornets’ head coach Ian Rooney said: “It’s across the patch, it’s something that the town of Cleator Moor desperately needs.”

The all-weather facility will be used by all of Wath Brow’s players, from the juniors to the First Team.

The facility will be key to training sessions post-coronavirus.

Rooney said: “We’ve now got an indoor facility where we can rota around in the smaller groups.

“We’re grateful to everyone who supported this because it isn’t easy.

“We’re making sure our fantastic landscape isn’t blotted by this facility.

“The club’s spent about £11,000 just to get to where we are now – for a community club it’s a fantastic effort.

The 18-week build will take place on Wath Brow Hornet’s existing club ground.

He added that the side would like to help other rugby league teams to secure grants for similar projects if they are in the works.

“A vibrant Egremont, Kells, Distington... it’s good for everyone,” he added.