After more than two years of hard work, the renovation of a sports facility is set to be completed – thanks to some major cash boosts for the club.

With a £290,000 plan to refurbish the town's squash centre, Cockermouth Titans ARLFC is thrilled to have received a grant of £145,000 as part of Rugby League World Cup 2021’s (RLWC2021) CreatedBy programme.

The other half of the funds came from a generous donation by Allerdale Borough Council, allowing the club to update the Highfield Road centre's changing facilities and showers, social spaces and more.

And after taking on such a difficult venture more than two years ago, Cockermouth Titans committee chairman, Sean Marsh, is over the moon to see so much support.

"It's been a long slog, and [the funding] is great news for us that's come at the right time," he said.

"We took the squash court on and started the refurbishment, and I think we were a bit naive with how much we thought it would cost and the work that would actually need doing.

"It's been a really long journey, and I think we were all starting to feel a bit defeated, especially with the pandemic, so this news has given us a really good boost."

Once the renovations are complete, the club is hoping to open up the space to various other groups throughout the town, including dance groups, cheerleading clubs, and even schools.

With the new facilities, members also hope to see more women and young people getting involved with the range of sports available throughout Cockermouth.

As well as bringing fresh hope for the completion of the refurb, the club is also looking forward to receiving news on when training can resume.

It is hoped the announcement will come soon, with plans to restart games after about five weeks of training.

"And then we will hopefully be ready for the Rugby World Cup in November!" Mr Marsh added.

"It's been a long and quite hard process, I'd like to thank all our playing and committee members for their support and help through this time

"Hopefully we can get going with the final touches and get it finished off for everyone in the community to use."

Through the CreatedBy Capital Grants Programme, the Rugby Football League, Sport England and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have been able to give opportunities and essential funds to some of the hardest hit communities across the UK, predominately in the Rugby League heartlands of the North of England – with more than half the funding going to the top 30% deprived areas.

The CreatedBy programme has also pledged grants for projects in Bradford and York, and RLWC2021 chief executive, Jon Dutton, is proud to be helping communities across the nation.

He said: “Our ambition has always been that RLWC2021 will be the biggest and best Rugby League World Cup in history with social impact at the heart of everything we do.

“We thank Sport England and DCMS for their support in making the vision to deliver widespread positive influence through this trailblazing tournament a reality. The latest recipients show the power of the programme that has generated huge interest since opening and over the past twelve months has been a beacon of hope for so many.

“The true impact of the programme will be felt when grassroots sport returns at the end of March and many of the coaches, players, families and local people experience their new facilities and equipment for the first time.”

The huge demand and interest in the CreatedBy programme means the scheme will close for applications at 5pm on April 30, but the CreatedBy Small Grants programme will continue to take applications at www.rlwc2021.com/grants-application.