A WEST Cumbrian amateur football club has smashed their fundraising target to buy vital new facilities at their base.

Deer Orchard FC, a Sunday league football club based on Wakefield Road in Cockermouth are preparing for their 62nd consecutive season in Sunday League football, and were desperate to acquire new changing room facilities.

After new rules came into the recently established West Cumberland Sunday League aimed at driving up standards, changing facilities must be provided for both teams.

The container is only suitable for one team to change in so the search is desperately on for something similar to go alongside.

Club secretary Gary Horsley has been involved with the club for 39 years, he said: “As a team we rely on players’ subs to pay for costs without major sponsorship or other funding.

“Next year the league rules state that clubs must have showers and we don’t have any chance of that on Wakefield Road just like a few other teams in the old Workington League."

After realising the club wouldn't have the funds to buy a new changing facility themselves, one of the members decided to set up a fundraising page.

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Generous donations have flown in from people in and around Cockermouth, meaning the club achieved their fundraising goal and can now move forward to buy the new facilities.

Luke Ivison, who set up the fundraiser said: "Thanks to the everyone who’s donated which includes players, families, past players and the town of Cockermouth as a whole.

"Also to Cloud Competitions with the biggest donation, and the rest of the work they are doing for the local community. We priced up a container initially which was looking at £1,800 + vat for a second hand one that could do the job.

"Obviously anything over and above would be helpful as we could get one that might last a bit longer.

"We initially set the target to £1,500 as we thought we might get a couple hundred and didn’t want it to look silly, but once that was smashed we upped it to our real target of £2,000 which has been reached again."

The club are still fundraising to raise additional funds for the club, you can find out more here.

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