Sports ground lands grant

An uneven concrete wasteland is being turned into a multi-use sportsground at Hawera High School with the help of a $100,000 grant. A recent application to the Pelorus Trust has been approved, causing the allocation of one of the largest amounts the group has ever awarded. It is hoped that the work will start on the Bayley Park tennis and netball courts next month. HHS deputy principal Wendy Armstrong said it was hoped that the four netball courts, five tennis courts, two half-sized hockey pitches, which were perfect for training juniors, and the 200-metre practice running track will be open by the 2013 school year. "It will be good to use the facility again, it will be quite a good community asset," she said. The idea came from a conversation between the HHS sport head Pauline Hurley and sport and arts co-ordinator Jan Roberts about ways to better use the grounds. "There's no junior hockey in Hawera at all, so hopefully this will help the local hockey club," Mrs Hurley said. "We're delighted to have received this money." Pelorus Trust chief executive Scott Simmiss said it was important to the funding provider to ensure that funds raised in a local community are returned to that area. "This project was a perfect opportunity for us to make sure the money could go back to the local area," he said. The Pelorus Trust is a charitable trust based in Wellington that raises funds for charitable, philanthropic and sporting purposes with the operation of gaming machines. PETRA FINER- SOUTH TARANAKI STAR Last updated 09:54 18/10/2012