WORK on a �120,000 village sports pavilion has started - despite a shortfall in cash which means it may take another year to get it completed.

Upwell Playing Field Committee has had to start putting up the pavilion to use grant money which might otherwise have been lost, but now they need to raise enough cash to finish.

Contractors are on site this week putting up the walls and the roof trusses.

Committee secretary Ros Shorting said around �30,000 of money given by the developers of a housing estate in the village had to be used or it would have been lost - even though the fact work has started means other streams of revenue may not be available.

“Cambridgeshire FA said it couldn’t help because we were already starting - but we had to otherwise the other money we had would have gone,” said Mrs Shorting.

The village also isn’t helped by the fact that it is in Norfolk but has a “Wisbech, Cambridgeshire,” postal address which causes issues when applying for funding.

“We are in Norfolk - but the fact our address says Cambridgeshire makes things a bit more difficult. It can be very frustrating,” said Mrs Shorting.

Money has come from the Norfolk Rural Community Foundation in the shape of �10,000 and also from Wren, a not-for-profit organisation that offers help with community projects.

Mrs Shorting said while there was enough money to make sure the building shell was up and weather-proof, the interior and finishing work would have to wait.

Fund raising events include a pony show and gymkhana on April 7; family fun day on May 26; Party in the Park on June 3; pony show on June 23 and a summer fair on August 5.

Regular car boot sales will also be held every Thursday from April 5.