MORE than £1million lottery grant has today been awarded to an Ipswich high school.Pupils and staff at Chantry High School were celebrating today along with 11 other schools in the east of England whose applications had been successful.

MORE than £1million lottery grant has today been awarded to an Ipswich high school.

Pupils and staff at Chantry High School were celebrating today along with 11 other schools in the east of England whose applications had been successful.

Chantry High School, of Mallard Way, will use the funding to build a new flood lit, full size pitch for hockey and football.

There will also be a new community coaching room and changing rooms with an upgrade to the existing changing rooms.

The £1,191 grant will see the school combining the new facilities for its own use with those of the community surrounding it.

Steve Wooldridge, deputy head, said: "We were all totally excited to hear the news.

"We have been working on the issue for 18 months and today's news will be a great boost for sport and PE.

"It is all about getting the community interested and raising the participation rates in sport for those living around the school as well as those who attend it."

Chantry was awarded the largest grant out of the total £6.8million awarded today from the Big Lottery Fund's £750million New Opportunities for PE and Sport programme.

The school is wasting no time in putting the plans into action and a site meeting is being held today.

Mr Wooldridge added: "We hope the all-weather pitch will be finished by December and the other parts to the project should be completed by July next year."

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