A YEAR-LONG fund-raising drive to generate money for a new Eden sports centre is about to get into full swing with an appeal to sponsor bricks.

Last month, Appleby Alliance was awarded a £998,000 grant from the National Lottery to build a new sports hall in the town.

Now residents have already found £20,000 of the £60,000 they need to cover equipment and running costs and they are ready to launch a big push for the rest.

Eric Wooff, chairman of Appleby Alliance, said he was confident the money would be raised in time and revealed: "Building work could start in the New Year and could probably be completed by late summer."

He said fund-raising was likely to centre on an appeal for sponsored bricks, with individuals able to sponsor a single brick by donating £5, for example.

He said corporate sponsors, such as local companies, would get a more visible sign of their generosity but the "nitty gritty" was yet to be finalised.

The centre will be built at Appleby Grammar School and will include facilities for badminton, netball, volleyball, five-a-side football, trampolining, yoga and table tennis. In the future there could even be a floodlit outdoor sports area.

Town mayor Coun Frank Harland said the centre could host sport 24 hours a day, seven days a week: "The possibilities are limitless!"

He said bad weather meant some activities in the town had to be cancelled from time to time but the sports hall should help avoid that.

The next fund-raising event is on Thursday, November 18, at 7.30pm when climber Leo Holding will give an illustrated talk on extreme sports at the grammar school.

Tickets are available from the school on 017683-51580 or Appleby Tourist Information Centre on 017683-51177.