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Community rallies to help storm-hit football club

Laura Foster/BBC Steve Day standing on a football pitch wearing a hoodie and a cap. He is wearing a jumper underneath his hoodie. He is wearing a cap and has the hood of his hoodie over his head.Laura Foster/BBC
Steve Day, chairman of Sawbridgeworth Town, said repairing the damage could cost thousands

A non-league football club has received almost £3,000 in donations from the community after parts of its ground were damaged by Storm Darragh.

Sawbridgeworth Town FC in Hertfordshire said its roof and turnstiles had been destroyed, and the stands and a supporting wall badly damaged, over the weekend.

Storm Darragh brought wind speeds of up to 90mph (145km/h) in some parts of the UK.

Club chairman Steve Day said: "The bad wind has caught the roof - bearing in mind the stand is very old - and I think a couple of the structures couldn't take the wind."

Laura Foster/BBC A broken roof with a man trying to fix it. There are cars parked on the right of the picture. There is a ladder leaning against the building and the roof has been ripped off.Laura Foster/BBC
The club is appealing for help to get "back on our feet" after Storm Darragh wreaked havoc

The club, nicknamed the Robins, plays at Crofters End in the Premier Division of the Essex Senior Football League.

Mr Day, 69, said the damaged roof was about 30 years old and that it could cost up to £5,000 to fix.

"We can get a few bodies up here before the end of the week just so we can clear the car park," he said.

"It's a big few weeks for us and we really could have done without this."

He said the club may leave the repairs until the end of the season.

"It is quite a lot of work involved, really. Hopefully we get a lot of local people to help," he said.

Laura Foster/BBC Ross Livermore is wearing a black puffer jacket and a black quarter-zip, both bearing the club crest. He is also wearing a cap. Behind him is a red wall, a ladder and men working. Laura Foster/BBC
Club coach Ross Livermore said: "The only thing that got hurt was the bank account"
Laura Foster/BBC A red wall with a ladder propped against it. A sheet metal roof can be seen on the ground. Two men are looking over the damage.Laura Foster/BBC
The club said its seating areas had been "heavily damaged"

Coach Ross Livermore said: "It's grassroots football. You have to help each other to survive and unfortunately something like this is taking its toll because its the funding that we're going to have to find to try and rebuild the club.

"It's just another tight knot of cash. It's something that we don't really want to have to pay out.

"It is what it is, really. You can't be angry; no cars were involved, no-one got hurt.

"The only thing that got hurt was the bank account."

Laura Foster/BBC Pat Boyd, wearing glasses, a light lilac coat and a red and black scarf. She is sitting in a football grandstand.Laura Foster/BBC
Pat Boyd said the club was a big part of the community

Supporter Pat Boyd said her grandson played football at the club and she would always pick him up.

"I like that it is part of the community. You know everyone and you know all of the mums and dads," she said.

"It can't keep going without people helping it."

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