SPORTS facilities in the dales have received a boost thanks to a lottery cash windfall.

A £140,000 grant from Sport England means a derelict tennis court in Askrigg can be transformed into upper Wensleydale's first floodlit multi-use games area.

Work on the court at YorebridgeCOR will start in January. By March, it is hoped the site will be available for games of football, tennis and basketball.

"At present, there are no floodlit, hard surface sports training and playing facilities in the whole of the upper dales," said district councillor Yvonne Peacock.

"A campaign to secure funding for this type of games area started five years ago, and with the support of the community, we've persevered and the money has come through.

"It's going to be a great resource for everyone in the area to use."

The grant awarded was £50,000 more than originally asked for.

"We wanted to ensure the success of this project," said Sport England's regional director David Gent.

"It is a fantastic scheme in an area where there are currently no facilities of this kind and the benefits will be far reaching.

"Rural areas often have just as many constraints when it comes to access to sports facilities as inner city urban areas."

In addition to the development of the tennis court site and improvements to the changing rooms, the money will also used to employ a full-time sports officer for the area.

The officer's job will be to encouraging the community to make use of the new facility and increase participation in other sports.

Future plans include an on-line booking system for the facility, the hire of heart-rate monitors and a loan scheme for equipment such as tennis rackets and balls.

Richmondshire District Council has contributed £10,000 towards the project.

Hilary Conway, the council's community leisure officer, said: "This is the maximum single amount available from our grants for the community and voluntary organisations fund.

"We are delighted the money for the Yorebridge project has been granted by the National Lottery.

"Like Sport England, the council recognises the need for accessible sporting facilities throughout the district."