A WESTON sports club has secured a £50,000 grant to build a new clubhouse in the hope of attracting new members.

Weston Bay Yacht Club, based on Uphill Beach, obtained the funding from Sport England to build an extension to its clubhouse as part of the Inspired Facilities project, a programme run by Sport England to provide funding to improve or build fixed facilities.

The club plans to build new showers and toilets in the extension, as well as a teaching and storage space with disabled access.

Members are also aiming to refurbish the group’s current clubhouse, which will be used for social events, and expand its offering to accommodate enthusiasts for a wide range of water sports.

Club commodore Bob Godbold said: “We came up with the plans when we realised we needed to attract a younger generation of sailors to the club and to do that we needed new facilities.

“We are doing this for the benefit of the whole community and people have shown a lot of support.”

The club has been in Weston since 1934 and Mr Godbold said it is hoping to open its doors to a wider membership of sailors, wind surfers, kite boarders, land yachtsmen and water and jet skiers.

The building will cost £75,000, and much of the building work will be done by the members themselves.

Mr Godbold said: “This forms part of the Olympic legacy project, and we hope there will be a lot of interest from people wanting to join the club.”

The work will start in September, and it is hoped the new facilities will be completed for the start of the new season in March.

For more information on how to join the club, search for Weston Bay Yacht Club on Facebook.