VOLUNTEERS are needed to help with a “once in a lifetime” opportunity as the finishing touches are put to plans for a long-awaited sports and community facility in Halesworth.

The team from the Halesworth Campus Project is urging residents to get involved with the project, which could see plans to develop Halesworth Middle School into a hub for a number of community resources.

The school is due to close in August next year, after a Suffolk-wide reorganisation of education, and the Halesworth Campus Project group hopes to transform the building after calls for new sports facilities have been prominent in the town for the last 20 years.

Erik Wilcock and Simon Weeks are both volunteers involved with the project and emphasised that they are keen to keep the education roots in the town as well as improve sporting facilities.

Mr Wilcock added: “It is our intention to help manage and grow the existing North Suffolk Skills Centre.”

The primary aim is to solve the lack of sporting facilities for the Blyth Valley catchment area, while linking this to the recently-constructed skills centre.

Halesworth Playing Fields Association and Waveney District Council have been working with fitness company Pulse, and it is hoped a new-build sports complex will provide an indoor heated swimming pool, gym, astro turf, activities room, caf�, a function room and now pallative care facilities.

It is hoped this will act as a spring-board for other projects, possibly including a new day centre for the elderly and business facilities.

Tony Goldson, chairman of Halesworth Playing Field Association and a Suffolk county councillor, said: “It is a once in a lifetime chance and I fully support the project 100 per cent.”

Mr Goldson added that since the unveiling of the plans the project group had received a lot of emails and telephone calls about the plans, with people “overjoyed” at the sports centre design.

David George, 45, from Wenhaston, said: “The site is in such a brilliant position. It is time that Halesworth was at the centre of something again.”

David March, 81, from Halesworth said he would like to see a community hall included in the plans.

- If you would like to volunteers or for further details email campus@halesworth.net or call Mr Weeks on 01986 784348.