A BACK from the brink club is now enjoying the good times havinbg achieved the FA's Charter Standard Award.

When Otley's Weston Lane Junior Sports and Social Club celebrate it's 50th anniversary next year it has more than a proud heritage to be grateful for.

he club was on the brink of extinction when an arson attack destroyed it's old clubhouse in 2000 and the years that followed brought a sharp decline for the oldest junior football club in Otley.

The old clubhouse had stood for over 25 years and was the focal point for many community activities in north Otley.

Ian Needham, the club's Charter Standard Liaison officer and U-15 coach, said: "We lost the clubhouse not long after I joined and I remember well training on cold Saturday mornings with no facilities and using an old container for equipment storage.

"However, through the hard work of the club we have re-built the club house and started to develop new teams from Under-7s to Under-11s."

Weston Lane set out in 2005 with a goal to become Charter Standard within two years and at that time had only three teams and no qualified coaches. The club now boasts seven Level 1 coaches and Ian himself is a Level 2 coach.

Ian said: "The Charter Standard Award gave us a focus to put our constitution, committee, CRB checks and coaching development on an upward curve and together with the new club ouse this gives us the foundations to attain even greater heights."

The club continues to go from strength to strength and remains true to its ideals of providing sporting and personal development for children of all abilities from 6 to 17.

Special mention must go to all the committee, parents, friends and local residents who have helped the club emerge from a dark period in its history. In particular the chairman Richard Bolton has put in hundreds of hours working to finish the new clubhouse which is almost complete.