Didsbury Toc H Rugby Football Club, submerged when the River Mersey burst its banks on New Year's Day 2025, has secured a £2,500 donation from Barratt Homes Manchester to help restore its flood-damaged pitches. The contribution was matched through the national Save Our Grassroots campaign, which aims to protect community sports grounds from extreme weather.
Club's Recovery Efforts
The rugby club has invested nearly £200,000 over the past 18 months to repair and upgrade its facilities. Chris Reeves, president of Didsbury Toc H RFC, explained: “As part of the ongoing recovery programme, we are continuing work on the pitches, replacing trees lost during the flooding and the subsequent levee repair works. This investment is essential to ensure the pitches remain safe, playable and usable throughout the winter months.”
Reeves highlighted the impact of the donation: “The generous donation of £2,500 from Barratt Homes, which was then matched through the ‘Save Our Grassroots’ initiative, took us beyond 50% of our fundraising target for this project. This support made a huge difference, providing a major boost to the campaign at a crucial stage and helping to turn the project into a reality.”
Environmental Improvements
With the fundraising target reached, the club is collaborating with the Wildlife Trust to enhance the site's ecology. Reeves noted: “Now that we have reached our target, we are working with the Wildlife Trust to deliver a range of environmental improvements across the site. This will include planting native trees and plants to enhance drainage, strengthen natural boundaries and improve biodiversity. We will also be installing bird and bat boxes to support local wildlife and help create a thriving ecosystem for years to come.”
Pitch maintenance is scheduled to begin imminently. “We have already scheduled the pitch maintenance work to begin in the next couple of weeks. This will include verti-draining, sand dressing and reseeding both pitches to improve their condition and resilience ahead of the winter season,” added Reeves. Replacement tree planting will be phased, as “some of the replacement trees are still young saplings, so planting will need to be phased to ensure they have matured sufficiently and have the best chance of establishing successfully.”
Community Support
Alan Watt, sales director at Barratt Homes Manchester, expressed pride in the partnership. “We are very proud to work with Didsbury Toc H on this restoration project. It has a long history in the area and is a major hub for community activity and we are eager to make sure we are doing our part to make sure that it can continue to be so.” He added: “We are excited to see the project develop and to see not just how the grounds can be restored, but also how they can be improved for the benefit of the future of the club and the community around it.”
The Didsbury Toc H RFC has a strong local following and serves as a key community asset in South Manchester. The combined funding from Barratt Homes and the match funding initiative has been instrumental in advancing the recovery, with the club now looking forward to completing the repairs and environmental enhancements.
