WORK has started on a new multi-purpose track at Millom School’s playing fields.

One kilometre in length and two-and-a-half metres wide, the track will be suitable for runners and cyclists in the town.

Millom Community Track are behind the project and say that the new track will make a big difference to the town.

Karen Hughes, chair of the charity, said: “It feels brilliant. We’re all volunteers behind this project, we have all got our own jobs to do, but we have made so much progress. What was maybe seen as a silly idea at first is now coming together. To see the diggers there working on the fields just feels amazing. It will offer a place for people who want to start running, whether it’s to get fitter and lose a bit of weight or just get healthier.”

Millom resident John Young alongside his grandson, Tye, were the first to put the spade in the ground, as construction officially began on Monday. In July, the former plasterer walked up Black Combe to raise funds for different charities including Millom Community Track. John has been terminally diagnosed with lung cancer, but remarkably, raised £3000 for the track.

Alongside fundraisers, the track received a huge boost from the government’s Towns Fund programme following Copeland Council’s successful bid.

During school hours, Millom School will operate the track, whereas the charity will take over in out-of-school hours. The project has been in the works for the last two years.

After the venue was named as one of the hardest park runs in the country due to its muddy nature, Karen revealed the charity wanted to establish a proper running surface in the town.

She said: “A lot of park run enthusiasts were coming to Millom. They were finding that their times recorded at Millom were much slower than anywhere else because it was so muddy. Although it was great that park run tourist were coming along and the field became the hardest in the country – it wasn’t actually benefitting the local community and encouraging people in Millom to come along and get healthy. So we got together and thought that it would be great if we had our own running track.”

Karen revealed that the completion date is “weather-dependent,” where the track could be finished by late April at the earliest.