The World Cup is over, but St Edmundsbury Borough Council is on the ball, helping to deliver a fantastic community event for Haverhill later this month.

This year’s extended Haverhill Big Bash has gained financial backing from the borough council thanks to a new locality grants scheme.

Leader of St Edmundsbury Borough Council, Cllr John Griffiths said: “Our goal is to deliver in Haverhill and throughout West Suffolk. We are already helping deliver growth with new homes, jobs, a relief road, schools, health facilities and more for a great, and very important, West Suffolk town.

“Leisure, however, is also key to our plans for Haverhill and I am delighted that Gordon Cox, ward member for Haverhill East, has invested £400 from his locality funding toward the big bash.

“He is the first of 45 St Edmundsbury councillors to spend from locality funding. Each councillor has £2,000 to spend to help kick start projects and events in their ward, to the benefit of all our residents.”  

This year’s bash has been extended from a day to an entire weekend of activities.

The event will kick off on July 19 with a day of sports activities from 10am to 4pm at the New Croft. It will include children’s activities, a baby show fairground rides, as well as live music at 6.30pm.

“The Haverhill Big Bash is looking to become a good annual community event enjoyed by families not just from the town, but also from some of the surrounding villages,” said Cllr Cox.

“I am pleased to be able to use some of my locality funding to enable the organisers to expand the range of activities on offer.

“This is the first year that the bash has been extended to cover the whole weekend. My funding will go specifically to the sports day on the Saturday, although I still have locality money available for other community organisations and groups e.g. PTAs and friends of schools etc. to apply for.

“When I’m not attending to council business or doing ward walks, I’m keen to encourage all forms of sports participation and healthy living.

“Congratulations to Peter Betts for organising such a great event on the Saturday. It promises to be a great weekend of activities and I hope to see lots of people there.”

Mr Betts, facilities manager and football development officer for the Haverhill Community Sports Association said: “We are grateful to Cllr Cox and St Edmundsbury for the funding for this event, which is a first for the Big Bash. We hope it will become a regular fixture in the town’s diary. There will be lots of family entertainment. It promises to be lots of fun.”

The Haverhill Big Bash continues on the Sunday with the regular family fun day on the Recreation Ground. There will be fun fair rides, flower and cake shows and much more from 10am to 4pm.