aWITH the completion of external landscaping and an enclosed children's play area, the King George V Sports and Community centre, Moretonhampstead, was officially opened on Saturday with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque by Phil de Glanville. Mr de Glanville, a former England rugby union captain, is now head of delivery for Sport England. Guests attending the event included fundraising contributors, people involved in the construction of the centre, suppliers of equipment and others who have been closely involved with the project. A family fun day took place in the afternoon, followed by a dinner and dance. Graham Wilson, chairman of the project's fundraising committee, said: 'We are delighted to be able to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the playing fields here in Moretonhampstead with the opening of this fine new sports and community centre. Within 12 weeks, hundreds of residents, clubs and businesses contributed in a multitude of ways to raise the required local funding in excess of £35,000 to enable us to draw down substantial additional funding from Sport England. This was a terrific achievement and we are very grateful indeed to everyone who has contributed to the building of the centre, whether by giving their time and effort of financially.' Mr de Glanville said: 'The people of Moretonhampstead and the surrounding area are to be congratulated on the completion of this superb sports and community centre. It's a model example of what a local community can accomplish if it has the determination to succeed, and everyone involved can feel justly proud of their achievement.' The centre, a community project funded by Sport England, Active England, Teignbridge Council, Dartmoor National Park and through donations and fundraising by members of the local community, has been operational since the end of April. The centre has already attracted more than 150 gym members ranging in age from 16 to 76, provided a base for several new clubs and groups and hosted two major club functions. In addition to a multi-activity kids' club, a number of summer sports activities have been arranged for young people during the school holidays, with qualified coaches in football, netball and cricket taking part. Multi-sport and art activity days and street dancing instruction are also planned.
