Football Club Damaged by Storm Darragh Receives Community Aid

A non-league football club has garnered nearly £3,000 in contributions from the local community following damage to sections of its facilities caused by Storm Darragh. Sawbridgeworth Town FC, located in Hertfordshire, reported that its roof and turnstiles were destroyed, while the stands and a retaining wall sustained significant damage during the weekend. Storm Darragh generated wind speeds reaching up to 90mph (145km/h) in certain areas of the United Kingdom. Steve Day, the club’s chairman, stated: “The bad wind has caught the roof – bearing in mind the stand is very old – and I think a couple of the structures couldn’t take the wind.” The club, known as the Robins, competes at Crofters End within the Premier Division of the Essex Senior Football League. Mr. Day, aged 69, mentioned that the compromised roof was approximately 30 years old and that repairs might incur costs of up to £5,000. He added: “We can get a few bodies up here before the end of the week just so we can clear the car park.” He further commented: “It’s a big few weeks for us and we really could have done without this.” He indicated that the club might postpone the repair work until the conclusion of the current season. He expressed: “It is quite a lot of work involved, really. Hopefully we get a lot of local people to help.” Coach Ross Livermore remarked: “It’s grassroots football. You have to help each other to survive and unfortunately something like this is taking its toll because its the funding that we’re going to have to find to try and rebuild the club. ” He continued: “It’s just another tight knot of cash. It’s something that we don’t really want to have to pay out.” Livermore also stated: “It is what it is, really. You can’t be angry; no cars were involved, no-one got hurt. ” He concluded: “The only thing that got hurt was the bank account.” Supporter Pat Boyd, whose grandson plays football at the club and whom she regularly picks up, commented: “I like that it is part of the community. You know everyone and you know all of the mums and dads,” she said. She added: “It can’t keep going without people helping it.” Updates on news from Beds, Herts, and Bucks are available on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.