WORK will begin on a £500,000 changing room project at Dursley Rugby Club following a cutting of the sod event to mark the occasion.

Following a two year fundraising campaign, rugby players of all ages and members of Dursley Running Club came together on Saturday to mark the start of work on new changing facilities - the biggest single investment in the club’s history.

The new changing rooms will provide three times the space for the 500 plus players who use the club, as well as offering self-contained changing and showering facilities.

The club’s chairman Simon Bilous said: “It’s a big day for Dursley Rugby Club and one we’ve been planning for the last two years.

“Our new changing facilities will ensure we can provide decent facilities for all our members, and most importantly continue to strengthen our junior, girls and women’s teams as well as the expanding Dursley Running Club.

“Our success as a club – which includes winning a hat-trick of senior cups this year and producing two England players - has out-stripped our poor changing facilities. This new building will be something the whole community can be proud of.”

The new building will be constructed alongside the existing changing rooms, which will remain in use during the build. They will provide six self-contained changing rooms, with en-suite shower facilities, allowing different ages and genders to use the space at the same time.

Once complete, the old building will be refurbished and turned into additional social space as part of the existing clubhouse.

Club president John Darlaston said: “I want to thank all those people who’ve made a contribution to our fundraising and development efforts in recent years. It will be good to see the next generation of players using these changing rooms and maybe there will be another England player amongst them.”

Smiths of Gloucester will undertake the ground work preparations and the main building work will be carried out by E G Carter Co. Ltd.

The club would also like to thank the following organisations whose generosity made this project possible : - Smiths Gloucester Ltd, Rifina Co. Ltd., Kohler Mira Ltd., Gloucestershire Playing Fields Association,  Gloucestershire County Council Active Together, Sports England, the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football Foundation, the Gloucestershire Environmental Trust Co.,and  Summerfield  Charitable Trust , Dursley Running Club, and all those members of Dursley RFC and Dursley RC who contributed time and money to the project.

The plans will be on display at the club throughout the build and the project is due for completion in late autumn.