Aberlour Villa's proposed £300,000 pavilion edges closer to becoming a reality as charity status is granted
A SPEYSIDE football club has edged closer to making its proposed new pavilion a reality.
The pavilion committee of Aberlour Villa Football Club has been granted 'charity status' which will allow the group to ramp up its fundraising efforts for the proposed facility.
The club announced its intention to replace its current 50-year-old pavilion in 2021, labelling it 'not fit for purpose'.
And to date, nearly £50,000 has been raised for the new facility which will cost around £300,000 to complete.
However, pavilion committee chairman Jake Gordon says that being granted charity status will open up new avenues of financial support.
"It's a big boost," Jake said. "We've managed to raise a fair amount ourselves but getting charity status means we can now apply for grants and things like that.
"We had been speaking to local distilleries asking for support but they told us we would need charity status.
"It took six or seven months to come through but now that it has, we can start looking at getting more funding so it's quite a big milestone for us."
The new pavilion will be developed with the whole community in mind - a factor which was crucial in being granted charity status.
It will feature a community hall, kitchen/dining area and eight showers (four in each changing room).
It will also be built on the bank across from the current pavilion which will be kept as a storage facility.
However, until the necessary funds are raised and the architect working on the project submits their final drawings for the facility, construction cannot begin.
"I'm still hopeful that we'll have it completed in time for our centenary year (2024)," Jake said .
"It's been some effort so far. We're still aiming for 2024 but certainly 2025.
"We've got good plans. It just all takes time."