Member Article

First phase of refurbishment completes at flood-stricken rugby club

The clubhouse at Tynedale Rugby Club in Corbridge, which was flooded in Storm Desmond last December, has seen phase one of its restoration plan completed in time to host its first home game in nine months.

Newcastle-based Silverstone Building Consultancy is project managing the works and has been assisting the club since January, when the firm was appointed to develop the flood refurbishment scope of works and negotiate a settlement figure with the insurers.

Henry Scott, chartered building surveyor at Silverstone Building Consultancy said: “The water reached depths of 1.5 metres inside the clubhouse, so our initial priority was to decontaminate the building and dry out the structure. We have now completed phase one of the refurbishment which included renovating the kitchen, beer cellar, bar function room, committee meeting room and WC areas.”

The rugby club, which offers male and female teams from under 7’s right through to seniors, was forced to play its home fixtures away from Tynedale Park after the devastating floods. Premiership neighbours Newcastle Falcons came to the rescue and kindly allowed them to use their home of Kingston Park for the remainder of the season.

Silverstone, which has made a donation to the club in the form of a new carpet for the bar area, says it is now working in conjunction with the committee to develop further phases of restoration and a long term plan to future proof the clubhouse and amenities.

Ben Hunter, director at Silverstone added: “We are now developing phases two, three & four which will include further internal ground floor refurbishments and the possible construction of a 1st floor to move all function facilities up away from future flooding risks. Flood resilient refurbishment measures are being undertaken on the ground floor to mitigate any significant damage should the building be affected by floods again in the future.”

Tynedale Rugby Club is currently looking at fund raising options to help achieve these future phases of development, which it says are necessary as there is no prospect of insurers providing flood insurance cover in the short term and the management team are committed to providing a facility fit for purpose for generations of players and spectators.

Neil Foster, chief executive of Tynedale Rugby Club said: “We are really excited to be able to re-open this fantastic community facility and welcome back the players and spectators. The team at Silverstone have given us invaluable guidance throughout this process and with their specialist advice we hope to be able to protect the clubhouse from further flooding problems.

It is 40 years since Tynedale Rugby Club relocated from Hexham to Tynedale Park. We are now faced with the challenge of raising close to half a million pounds to make sure we can complete the project and underwrite this fantastic facility for the next forty years or more.“

Silverstone Building Consultancy is also project managing the refurbishment of a terrace of five residential properties in Corbridge, which were also devastated by Storm Desmond.

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