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Plymouth Judo Club has
started a fundraising drive to build a new venue at Rocky Park
Road in Plymstock after buying the derelict council-owned land
for just £1.
The club are temporarily
based at Faraday Mill after being forced to vacate their base
on Embankment Lane – their home since 1988 - when the Gdynia Way
roadworks began last year.
The council has now transferred
ownership of the 0.28 acres of the land, which was formerly the
site of Plymstock Health and Fitness Club.
Councillor Ian Bowyer,
Cabinet Member for Finance, Property, People and Governance, said:
“Having a judo club is going to be good for the community and
effective in keeping youngsters off the streets."
Club chairman Alan Kimber said the
club now need to raise £250,000 to build their new venue and will
apply for local and national grant funding, as well as raising
more funds from local events and sponsorship.
“We need to raise money
to start building but we couldn't start applying for grants until
we owned the land,” said Kimber, who’s also a senior national
referee and highly-regarded 6th Dan.
"The council is giving
us the land because they turned us out of the site on Embankment
Lane where we have been since 1988. We have taken thousands of
youngsters off the streets since the club started in 1955.
"Even the Queen, in
her Christmas speech, said we should encourage sports."
He added: "The club
will offer fair and equal opportunities to people in Devon and
Cornwall to get access to this level of training."
To make a donation please
contact Alan Kimber on 01752 406576.
Plymouth Judo Club temporarily
train at Unit 55 Faraday Mill Business Park, Farady Road, PL4
0ST, Plymouth. Youth and senior players train on a Monday at 19:30
– 21:30 while juniors and seniors train on a Wednesday at the
same time. Children (5-8 years) train on a Friday at 19:00 – 20:00
while players aged 8 – 16 train at 20:00 – 21:30.
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