PLANS have been drawn up for a multi-million pound rehabilitation centre that will treat injured jockeys across the North.

The clinic would provide physiotherapy and medical treatment for jockeys, who commonly suffer head injuries or broken bones during their career.

If approved, the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) centre would be based in Malton. The North Yorkshire town is a major hub for horseracing, along with Middleham, in the Yorkshire Dales.

Plans went on display on Friday and Saturday, with project fundraiser and IJF vice-president Jack Berry on hand to answer questions.

The charity already has a similar unit, Oaksey House, in Lambourn, Berkshire, which was originally devised by Mr Berry as a retirement home for injured jockeys.

It quickly expanded into a treatment centre to help injured riders return to health.

The demand on the centre became so great that the charity felt there was a need for one in the North.

It will submit a planning application for Jack Berry House later this month, to be built at Orchard Fields, near Malton’s rugby club.

In February, they met planners at Ryedale District Council, who raised a number of issues with the site they were proposing.

It is believed those issues have been addressed.

Jack Berry House would offer free or largely subsidised treatments for injured jockeys and the site would operate on a commercial basis for other users.

It will cost up to £4m to build, with running costs of about £200,000 a year, requiring a major fundraising campaign by the charity.

It is already running an initiative in which people can buy a brick to carry their name or that of their favourite horse. The bricks would be incorporated into the centre’s gable ends, walls and paths.

A charity spokesman said: “Our aim is to provide a rehabilitation and fitness centre for jockeys based in the Northern half of England and Scotland for the wider sporting world of that same area and, of course, for local residents.

As with Oaksey House, we aim to provide a top-class team who can offer treatment of varying sorts for sporting injuries.”

To buy a brick, go to injured jockeys.co.uk