This is not just cosmetic regeneration, but a full refurbishment including converting the bar and families' room into one open-plan area, a new ceiling and a new double-door entrance as well as fresh decoration. There will also be new surfaces to the bar area and new flooring. We are also very pleased to able to confirm that we are also installing a disabled toilet in the building, which addresses a long-standing issue for that side of the ground.

In addition to the above, thanks to the generosity of one of our sponsors Dave Barrett proprietor of Total Heating, we have also been able to install central heating throughout the building. Dave has donated all the materials and his labour free of charge and the club would like to take this opportunity to thank Dave for this very kind gesture.

The club are particularly proud of this project as it has been undertaken purely for the benefit of our supporters and will offer an inviting and welcoming environment to drink in as well as being somewhere to eat as food will also continue to be served from the area that was the families' room.

As we look to the start of the season we are unfortunately currently unable to offer drinking facilities on the North side of the ground, the temporary structure known as The Black Bull will not be open next season, the structure is no longer council approved for use and should have been removed at the end of May. We hope to rectify this soon but due to the reluctance of the company who own the Black Bull to actually remove their property we are unable to proceed with any other facility in that area, following a visit from the owners today it appears it may now be removed within the next couple of weeks. Once that has gone we will work on providing new drinking facilities for North Stand and East Bank supporters.

In the meantime, we hope that supporters from all around the ground will come and experience for themselves the new Phoenix Lounge, which will open at home games at 12.30pm before 3pm kick-offs and at 6pm before 7.45 kick-offs.

Competition winner

At the end of last season, we held a competition for users of Wally's Bar to offer their suggestions for a new name for the bar for next season and there were two clear favourites :

McGinty's and Phoenix (various versions suggested). We decided to use both names, with the Players' Bar being renamed The John McGinty Lounge and Wally's Bar being renamed The Phoenix Lounge. All suggestions received were put into a draw to win a new 2010-11 home shirt signed by the team. The draw was made last week and the winner was Angie Quinton, who has been notified and is looking forward to collecting her prize once the season is underway.

Richard Petty
General Manager