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It’s all systems go as Cheltenham North prepare to start work on clubhouse in March next year

North Gloucestershire > Sport > Rugby Union

Author: Roger Jackson, Posted: Wednesday, 6th December 2017, 11:50

Paul Balmer

Work is set to start on Cheltenham North’s clubhouse in March next year, chairman Paul Balmer has confirmed.

Planning permission has now been granted to convert their single-storey home at Stoke Orchard into a two-storey building.

“I think we’ll be breaking ground in March 2018 and we hope to have the work completed by October 2019,” said Balmer.

The club currently have three changing rooms and the new build would see that number double. The new changing rooms would remain on the ground floor with the upstairs area set aside for the club’s social activities.

As you would imagine, the new building will not come cheap and is expected to cost £1.5 million. Much of the money will be provided by organisations such as Sport England in the form of grants, but the North will still have to find around £375,000 themselves.

While things are progressing well off the field, there are also encouraging signs for the Gloucester One club on the pitch.

“The squad have started to gel a bit and we’ve had a couple of decent results,” said Balmer, who was a pretty decent player for the club back in the day.

The North have won three and drawn one of their last four games – a run that has taken them into the top four, although they are still 16 points adrift of runaway unbeaten leaders Old Elizabethans.

However, the North will see the visit of Old Cryptians on Saturday as an opportunity to stretch their recent impressive form although Balmer did sound a note of caution.

“For some reason we tend to play better away at the moment, I don’t know why,” he said.

A win on Saturday would certainly put the North in good heart for their final league game before Christmas on 16th December at Old Colstonians, who like Old Cryptians have won five and lost four this season.

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It’s all systems go as Cheltenham North prepare to start work on clubhouse in March next year

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