KEIGHLEY Cougars have provided an update on the work going on at their ground during lockdown, with pitch maintenance and the painting of the Danny Jones Stand and Terry Hollindrake Stand taking precedence this week.

But their ambitions are far greater than that, with chairman Mick O'Neill informing Keighley and Ilkley MP, Robbie Moore of the club's grand plans to have shops and a gymnasium down at the ground.

Speaking to the Keighley News a few weeks ago, O'Neill said he wanted to build a sporting complex down at Cougar Park, incorporating the local cricket and bowls clubs.

But it seems he wants to go further, telling Moore: "What we'd like is a brand new stadium (down here at Cougar Park) where we can have shops, a gymnasium and cafes.

"We want to offer the Asian community something to look forward to as well.

"At the moment, the benches we have are not at all comfortable to sit on and we have holes in the stand,

"To get a marvellous stand down here would create a wonderful atmosphere in the town and we'd get bigger crowds, where it would be comfortable to see the game."

Moore said he would be pushing as hard as he could for funding to ensure a complete renovation of Cougar Park and he praised the great job volunteers were doing, while also encouraging local businesses and traders, like plumbers and electricians, to come down and help out.

He said: "All of this is about reinstalling that pride and passion back into Keighley and getting the mighty Keighley Cougars going again."

Cougars' managing director Lisa Gill echoed those sentiments, saying: "It's come at a huge cost to renovate Cougar Park, especially given we've had no income for three or four months.

"Everything has been down to the generosity of our volunteers and sponsors and we'd still love to hear from any companies who'd like to join in at Cougar Park and be at the centre of this community.

"We've deep cleaned all our surfaces and terracing and everything has been repainted so it can be disinfected and sterilised in preparation for hopefully people (fans) being able to come back when we're allowed to play again."

Gill expressed her gratitude to Manor Coatings in Baildon for sponsoring all the paint, saying the work "was not possible without them".

She also thanked Debbie Green, owner of Lowbridge Upholstery, for supplying cushioned seating pads, which can be easily sterilised and will add to the comfort of watching Keighley down at Cougar Park.

Leeds-company Skylift Access have also been down to help out with the stand lighting.

Gill confirmed that, with the old floodlights being over 25 years old, there was no chance of refurbishing them, so they have been replaced with brand new state-of-the-art LED lighting.

She said that that would help the ground look "spot on" when the TV cameras come down for games in the future.

Finally, Gill confirmed that the back of the stand needed re-rendering and re-cladding.

To get in touch with Lisa and the club to offer your help, contact: Lisa@cougarmania.co.uk