MEMBERS of the public are being urged to buy their own piece of a new outdoor artificial sports pitch planned for Dunbar.

Work is under way to raise £25,000 to help with the refurbishment of the full-size pitch at Hallhill, to the south of the East Coast Main Line.

The pitch, which was put in place in 2001, is expected to cost in the region of £180,000 to replace, with a further £20,000 being earmarked for improved floodlighting at the sports centre.

Robert Peters, manager at Hallhill, told the Courier about the latest fundraising proposal, which it is hoped will bring in more than 20 per cent of the fundraising money.

He said: “At the minute, we are doing this fundraiser where you can buy a square on the pitch, which we hope to raise £6,000 from.

“We have various other things planned as well.

“Andrea Kelly donated £1,000 from the David Armstrong Memorial Fund, so she has bought the centre spot on the pitch, which is great.

“We are talking a year to two years for the project but we are just trying to get money in.”

The pitch has been split into 3,000 ‘squares’, measuring two metres by one metre, with people able to buy a ‘square’ for £2.

The money collected will then be put into a pot towards replacing the pitch.

Various groups, such as East Lothian Council and Viridor, will also be approached in a bid to chip into the six-figure sum.

Other fundraisers, such as a Grease sing-a-long night, have also helped with Hallhill’s own fundraising.

Mr Peters said the pitch had been in place since 2001 and had “reached the end of its life”.

The pitch is used by a variety of groups, including Dunbar Hockey Club, Dunbar Running Club, Dunbar United and Dunbar United Colts, on a regular basis.

Heavy rain on the pitch often brings up sand and mud, which has to be cleared with snow shovels before the pitch can become usable again.

Mr Peters told the Courier once the money was in place it was hoped it would prove to be reasonably straightforward to replace the pitch.

Planning permission would not be needed.

Those buying the squares will have their name displayed on a replica pitch in the clubhouse and also receive a certificate stating the squares purchased.

To buy a square, contact Mr Peters at Hallhill.