The town’s thriving rugby club has more than 300 playing members, ranging from age 6 up to veterans, with the Men’s 1st XV playing in London Division 3 North East, the Ladies 1st XV playing in the National Challenge 1 South East North league and its juniors and minis teams playing at each age group.

The club will play its last season at the current ground at Ram Gorse before moving to the new facility at Latton Farm, just two miles away in spring 2017. Latton Farm, off Howard Way, is more central to Harlow and part of the corridor of sports facilities for the town that already includes football fields and the Harlow Sports Centre.

Alan Brooking, chairman of Harlow Rugby Club for eight years and who is now overseeing the move to the new ground, said; “Our current clubhouse was built in 1955 and, as much as we love it here, we have run out of playing and training space and the clubhouse is no longer fit for the modern requirements of a multi-age, multi-sex playing membership so to see work starting shortly is testament to all those who believed and worked on this project over the past 20 years.

“The new club will be a purpose-built facility using the very latest design techniques inside and out, with 4 adult pitches and 2 mini pitches, floodlights to training pitches and 1st XV pitches and a two-storey clubhouse encompassing all of the RFU and Sport England guidelines which we believe will provide a fantastic facility for our members both on and off the pitch.