Last updated 15:47, Wednesday, 12 March 2008

OUR local authority and the movers and shakers of regeneration have taken a few well-aimed brickbats of late. But this week plaudits are in order because Copeland Borough Council and its various partners have put together a timely deal which effectively saves the life of Whitehaven’s semi-professional rugby league club.

Whatever the exact financial details, it is most definitely a life-saving rescue package and it has come in the nick of time. With the club facing huge financial losses over the last two years, had things gone on much longer it would have spelled the end for Whitehaven RLFC after 60 years.

There have been many ups and downs, but really the club has been part of the town’s modern heritage and it means a lot to a lot of people down the years, whether or not they currently attend the matches.

It is fairly common in parts of the North for local authorities to involve themselves in partnerships to help rugby and soccer clubs not only to survive but also upgrade their facilities to meet modern standards and social demands – no longer suffering in draughty old stands and the Bovril and hot dog at half time!

This is what Copeland Council and its partners are bent on achieving at Whitehaven Recreation Ground, where the rescue package is tied four-square to the Pow Beck regeneration.

Unlike in 1992, when the borough council came to the rescue by purchasing £30,000 worth of shares, it is not putting money directly into the rugby league club, more of a case of combining with its partners to unlock resources from various quarters.

You could also say it is partnership working at its best and as the Latin motto on Whitehaven RLFC’s crest suggests the result of debate and discussion and decision reached with harmony, not discord.