A PAVILION has been reopened following a £450,000 refurbishment to boost sporting opportunities and facilities in Crewe.

The pavilion at the King George V Playing Fields, on West Street, was opened by Rachel Bailey, leader of Cheshire East Council.

The event was attended by the Football Association, the Football Foundation and local community groups.

The grant to refurbish the pavilion was secured in autumn 2014 after the building was identified by Cheshire Football Association as a high priority in the borough.

Speaking at the event, Cllr Bailey said: “It’s wonderful to be here today opening this tremendous new pavilion, which I know will help to further improve the levels of sporting participation in Crewe.”

The pavilion has close ties with George’s Community Centre, which aims to provide refreshments to the teams and supporters, who will use the facilities on match days.

The community centre will additionally provide access for other community activities.

The new high-quality changing room facilities at the pavilion will encourage increased sporting opportunities for residents through better accessibility and support mixed sport.

Improvements to drainage on the pitches will allow for more football matches to take place, where waterlogging was previously a problem.

Cllr Bailey said: “With the Crewe Lifestyle Centre having been launched earlier this year, this is another sign of how committed this Council is towards improving opportunities to residents in the town.”