OLD SODBURY have taken a huge step closer to building their new Village Sports Pavilion, thanks to the London Olympics legacy.

The club have received £50,000 of National Lottery funding from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund, which is part of the £135m Places People Play legacy programme that is bringing the magic of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games into communities across the country.

They were presented with the cheque on Tuesday by Great Britain’s 400m hurdler Natasha Danvers, who won bronze in Beijing in 2008 and is part of the squad for London 2012 and is an ambassador for Sport England.

Sodbury received planning permission for the new £160,000 changing facilities towards the end of last year, which they need following their rapid rise up the local leagues.

They finished third in Bristol Premier Combination Premier One last season to secure their sixth promotion in seven seasons under manager Greig Everson, but they are currently playing home games in Tormarton as their ground doesn’t meet league requirements.

Their success has seen an influx of players and as a result they formed a reserve team for the first time last year to accommodate them.

Old Sodbury chairman Richard Deane said: “We are delighted to have secured this investment, which means we are well on the way to providing new facilities to the village of Old Sodbury.

“It is the cornerstone of our strategy to have an outstanding club for the 2012 Olympics’ legacy, and will ensure the future development of our club.”

The new facility could also be used by the wider community, including the village cricket club, Hogweed Trotters Running Club, Old Sodbury Primary School and the Village Hall Committee.

Thornbury and Yate MP Steve Webb said: “It is excellent news that the fundraising team has been able to secure such a large grant towards this important project. I am sure that this will be of benefit to the whole community and is just the sort of lasting legacy of the 2012 London Olympics that we all want to see.”

Sport England chairman Richard Lewis added: “This National Lottery investment will create a lasting sporting legacy for Old Sodbury.

“This fund has really hit the mark with sports clubs in South Gloucestershire. It shows we’re offering the legacy that people want for their local community.

“For hundreds of clubs and tens of thousands of people, 2012 will be the year their local sports facilities got better.”

Sport England have launched a further £10m funding round to help local community sports groups upgrade their facilities.

You can find out more at sportengland.org/inspiredfacilities Bids will be accepted from 23 July.