A RAFT of improvements to sports and community facilities in Headley looks set to go ahead thanks to the persistence of residents in securing funding. Plans for a practice wall at Headley Tennis Club and a memorial garden on the Heath- erlands estate are a step closer to reality after each received £2,000 from East Hampshire District Council's community forum this week. Meanwhile, improvements to the lower car park and pavilion on the Mill Lane playing fields are under way after the Sports Association, which manages the land, committed cash with government support. Headley Parish Council, at a meeting of its recreation committee on Monday, also announced changes to the village green play area. Before the district council forum's decision, £4,500 had already been pledged to the tennis club for the practice wall, by the parish council, the Hampshire Playing Fields Association and the district council-controlled developers' contributions, as well as the club's own coffers. Club member and parish councillor Robin Hall said two outstanding applications for the balance, to the lottery's Awards for All scheme and the Foundation for Sport and the Arts, could be given the nod by the end of August. He said: "The idea is to give members and the public, particularly youngsters, the chance to improve and develop their skills and participate more with the club." The club is also talking about placing a memorial bench next to the courts in honour of former president Arthur Shergold, who died earlier this year. Forum members also agreed to part-fund a garden, seating area and commerorative stone for the play area on the Heatherlands estate, in Headley Down, estimated to cost £5,500. Residents have already raised £500 for a stone in honour of former resident Paula Wadham, an active member of the community until her death two years ago. Gary Hopwood, chairman of Headley Parish Council and the Heatherlands Action Group, confirmed the council had committed £1,000 towards the project and Drum Housing would respond to a request for the balance this week. He said: "Most of the residents are young parents and this garden will be somewhere their children can play and they can rest and chat." Work started on Monday to lay concrete surfacing on the lower car park next to the Mill Lane playing field, made possible with money from the government's Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Headley Sports Association member Alec Brodrick exp-lained that the work would stop the grass floor of the car park, originally intended for overflow parking, from deteriorating further. Across the road, a sandpit on the village green play area is to be removed by the parish council and replaced with a roundabout after councillors noted sand was damaging equipment.
