BORDON and Oakhanger Sports Club is a step closer to receiving a vital lifeline after district councillors agreed to support its bid for a £25,000 grant from the community initiatives fund.

East Hampshire District CouncilÕs north east area community committee unanimously supported the clubÕs grant application, and will recommend to cabinet that it chould receive the full amount requested from the fund.

The decision followed the support given to the club by EHDCÕs cabinet member for recreation and leisure, Andrew Pattie, and Whitehill Town Council.

The club needs to raise £36,000 for urgent repair and maintenance work including connecting the building to the main drainage system, re-cladding the roof and bringing the electrics up to health and safety standards.

The report to the committee said: ÒThe BOSC has been providing sports facilities to local people for over 25 years. The grounds and premises are part of Defence Estates and until recently were operated under an annual licence granted by the Army.

ÒThe club has now negotiated a five-year lease. A longer lease was not negotiable due to the current defence review.

ÒAs the facilities are surplus to the needs of the Bordon garrison, Defence Estates have made it clear that they have no responsibility to repair or maintain the club infrastructure under the terms of the lease.

ÒThe short lease means that funding is not available from the National Lottery, Sports England or the Football Foundation.

ÒApplications have been made to the Hampshire Playing Field Association for repairs to the squash court (£400) and cricket pitch (£500).

ÒAn application for £10,000 has been made to Whitehill Town Council. The council agreed an immediate grant of £1,000 and to consider the grant of £10,000 in the autumn when they agree their budget for 2003-2004. The town council have written a letter of support to the club.

ÒIf the club cannot raise funding for essential repairs and maintenance, public use of the facilities at BOSC may have to cease.

ÒOnce lost, it is highly unlikely that public use of these sports facilities, which have served the people of the Bordon area for some 25 years, will ever be regained.Ó

Speaking on behalf of the club, Douglas Rose Smith said that if BOSC did not secure the funding, sports clubs would start to drift away and relocate, signalling the beginning of the end for BOSC.

He urged councillors to support the grant application which would spark off BOSCÕs regeneration.

ÒThis is not a five-year investment, we are looking at continuing the vitality and sustainability of the club for the Bordon and Whitehill area,Ó he said.

The committee also heard that the club was home to a large number of sports teams participating in nine different sports.

Currently it has 1,118 playing members, of which 786 - 69 per cent - are under 16.

Area coordinator Keith Chadwick was recommending to the committee that it supports giving BOSC a £15,000 grant from the community initiatives fund this year, and a grant of up to £10,000 next year to match that provided by Whitehill Town Council next year.

He explained that it was Òa way of tying in Whitehill Town CouncilÓ to the funding.

But councillors threw that recommendation out and replaced it with their own recommendation to give BOSC the whole £25,000 this year.

Geoffrey Whittle (Headley) said: ÒIf we donÕt give them all of the money now, then we will only be meeting them halfway. This is vital work that they need to do and only giving them half of the £36,000 that they need will not help them.Ó

Committee chairman Richard Hope (Bramshott and Liphook) also supported giving the club a £25,000 grant this year and said that it would be extremely unlikely that Whitehill Town Council would pull out of giving BOSC a grant after it had publicly supported the club.

He said: ÒIt would not look good in public.Ó