A NEW sports facility worth £50,000 will be built in a Dorset village.

An area of the Hedley Haward memorial playing field in Maiden Newton will be transformed into a games area for children, thanks to a corporate grant.

A spokesman for the company funding the project said that after the initial £50,000 had been spent on the area, a further £20,000 could be spent on other improvements.

This may include bringing sports coaches in to teach children there and lighting so it can be used after dark.

Sally Falkingham, chairman of Maiden Newton Parish Council, described the funding as a welcome opportunity' to improve the area.

She said: "I'm thrilled to bits it's coming here."

She added that many children in the village can travel 10 miles to school every day at Beaminster or Dorchester and many cannot easily return there to take part in after-school sports clubs and activities.

The money for the project came from Barclays Bank's Spaces for Sports project, which was helped by environmental charity Groundwork Trust.

Mrs Falkingham said: "Maiden Newton Parish Council thanks Groundwork Trust and Barclays Spaces for Sports for providing this welcome opportunity to upgrade the sports facilities we offer at the Hedley Haward memorial playing field.

"The multi-use games area will be sited adjacent to the youth and community centre so that it is available for use by the whole community from playgroup to pensioners."

Mrs Falkingham said an application to install lighting at the area would probably be made next summer.

The initial £50,000 will be spent on fencing and laying asphalt near the village's youth centre.

The games area will feature various sports pitches and courts drawn on the ground for games like football, basketball, tennis, volleyball and netball.

Mrs Falkingham also thanked the youth and community centre chairman Paul Valisnki and West Dorset District Council for their support.

Barclays community relations manager Elaine Arnold said: "£50,000 does seem like an awful lot of money but this work is expensive."

She added that games area sites often need maintenance before construction work can begin in earnest.