Local MP Robbie Moore has met with players and volunteers at local rugby league club Silsden Storm to discuss their need for much better changing facilities. The club currently use Silsden Park’s Pavilion which is in need of refurbishment and urgent repair.
Home to a thriving set of junior teams boasting upwards of 130 members, Silsden Storm have been campaigning for upgrades to the Silsden Park Pavilion for some time.
In 2022, Rugby League World Cup organisers, alongside Bradford Council, approached Silsden Storm with a grants programme to renovate the changing room facilities, but it was later revealed that the project was not currently on Bradford Council's agenda for the next 5 to 10 years, a move which Silsden Storm described as a “massive disappointment”.
Mr Moore, who raised this issue with Bradford Council earlier this year, has urged the Council to consider all options, stating that this is a vital project which needs to be delivered. Mr Moore has also queried Bradford Council as to where all of Silsden’s Housing Development money (known as section 106 money) has gone from all the housing developments which Bradford Council keep approving in Silsden, stating that surely some of this money should be used to enhance Silsden’s recreational and parks assets.
Speaking after the visit, Mr Moore said:
“Silsden Storm play a huge role in promoting sports and physical activity in our town, and it is fantastic to see the sport growing at a grassroots level.
But without adequate facilities, the future of Silsden Storm is in jeopardy. They risk losing the club altogether as well as being unable to provide suitable sanitary facilities for players and staff.
Silsden Storm desperately need improved changing room facilities, and I therefore will work with all to ensure a better venue is put in place.”
