IMPROVEMENTS have been made to Coulthurst Craven Sports Centre's car park courtesy of Skipton Building Society.

The 91-space car park has been reconstructed following an arrangement with the society, the sports centre and Skipton Lawn Tennis Club, which owns the land.

It was used by employees of the society during the building of the new extension at its principal office with the proviso that once the extension had been completed, members of the sports centre would get the car park improved.

The work included widening the access road, re-fencing the area around the tennis court and rewiring the underground electrical supply.

Roger Beck, chairman of the sports centre management committee and project co-ordinator of the Craven Consortium, said: "The car park has been a tremendous gesture by Skipton Building Society and we are extremely grateful.

"As we are a self-help, non-profit making registered charity, we are constantly looking at ways we can raise funds to improve facilities."

The Craven Consortium - made up of the sports centre, Craven College, Craven District Council and Skipton Lawn Tennis Club - has put forward a £2.7 million sports lottery bid to fund new developments on the site.

These include a floodlit multipurpose all-weather pitch, athletics track, climbing wall, gymnasium, educational meeting rooms for Craven College, changing facilities and an upgrading and floodlighting of the tennis courts - for which planning permission has already been obtained.

The consortium hopes to submit stage one of the bid later this year, but even if it gets 65 per cent of the funding, there will still be a shortfall.

Therefore it is seeking financial pledges to enable the provision of additional sport and recreational facilities for the community.