Facilities

New minibus will have huge benefits for Bury - 17th October 2006

There won’t be any more cramped away trips to Carlisle or Shrewsbury for Bury’s youth team thanks to Lord’s School and Tailored Fire and Security’s astounding generosity in donating the funding required for a brand new minibus that will benefit the Youth Team, Centre of Excellence and Community department.

The club’s Centre of Excellence parents’ committee has also played a vital role in the purchase, donating a large sum to the scheme after the success of their continual fundraising efforts. The overall contribution of around £9,000 from the club’s private sponsors was then equalled by a grant from Sportsmatch which allowed the purchase of the £18,000 vehicle to take place.

The previous club minibus remains in commission but is past its best, and wasn’t of sufficient size or quality to cope with some of the lengthier away trips that the club’s under 18s have to face. The new 17-seater vehicle offers valuable improvements in terms of safety as it is fully-fitted with seatbelts, and will offer far greater reliability than the old bus which was showing numerous signs of wear and tear.

It is adorned with logos of the football club, Lord’s Independent School, Tailored Fire and Security and Sportsmatch, and as well as being used by the club’s Community department during its work with local organisations, it will also make travelling far more luxurious, particularly for Chris Beech and his young charges.

“It’s better than the previous minibus because it’s actually got a radio for a start,” he joked.

“The old vehicle had certainly seen better days and I’m delighted that we’ve got this new bus in place because all the peripheral things away from the pitch have to be right to be able to enjoy success as a football club.

“To have a minibus that we can rely on and use to transport our players in comfort is a huge boost to what we’re doing and makes our life far easier.”

Ross Johnson, the club’s director with responsibility for Youth and Centre of Excellence, is delighted that so many partners have come together to provide an excellent facility. He claimed:

“We’ve worked closely with Lord’s School and Tailored Fire and Security for a number of years and they’re an excellent supporter of what we’re trying to do in terms of youth development.

“Our parents’ committee has also played a massive part in making this vision a reality, and I’d like to thank them for their continuing efforts which ensure that we enjoy the benefits of one of the most productive youth development programmes in the region.

“We’re continually striving for excellence at this football club, and improving our infrastructure in this manner helps to achieve that benchmark.”

Zoe Whittle, principal of Lord’s Independent School of Manchester Road, Bolton, and husband of Tony Whittle who owns Tailored Fire and Security, said:

“We’re proud to be associated with a club which does so much for the local community and has an excellent record of helping local youngsters to make the grade in professional football.

“We hope the club continues to enjoy every possible success, and we aim to support them as they carry on their excellent work.”

Youth and Centre of Excellence facilities

Bury FC’s youth team play their home games at Lower Gigg, which is situated just down the road from the first team ground, meaning that players and officials can make use of the Gigg Lane facilities before and after all youth team fixtures.

Training takes place on the grass at Goshen Sports Centre (see Directions for details on how to get there) when weather permits, before moving onto floodlit astroturf once the nights draw in.

The Parents Committee have generously contributed towards the cost of a new digger to be used at Goshen. A donation of £1000 will also allow plumbing work to be undertaken on the house at Goshen, starting in the next few months. JDH Building Contractors have been commissioned to undertake this this.

It is the club’s long-term ambition to try and improve the facilities offered at the Goshen Training Centre. The eventual goal is to build a state of the art indoor training centre once finances allow, so that you’ll never need to brave those scrawly November nights again!