A NEW state of the art football pitch, which was named in the memory of a beloved Halstead teacher, has been officially opened.

Braintree council has announced the official opening of the new Calum Leys Memorial Pitch in Halstead.

With a ceremony being held on Thursday, June 24, the pitch was named in the memory of Calum Leys, the former Ramsey Academy PE teacher, Head of School and much-admired member of the Halstead community.

Mr Leys worked at the school for 15 years as Deputy Headteacher and more recently as Head of School.

Fittingly, Calum's wife Lorraine Leys was there to officially open the pitch on Thursday.

She appeared alongside Ramsey Academy school captain’s Cobi Berkane and Ellie Pratt in a small ceremony to meet current Covid restrictions.

Executive Headteacher at Ramsey Academy, Rob James, said: “Calum wanted the students to have a ‘holistic learning experience.’

"He knew academic qualifications are important, but so are the life skills and learning experiences that allow the students to challenge themselves and be ambitious.

“Sport was obviously an important part of these experiences. It’s a fitting tribute that the new artificial grass pitch at Ramsey was officially opened last night and named in his memory.

"The ‘Calum Leys Memorial Pitch’ will be a tangible reminder of his contribution to the local community.”

The artificial pitch was opened at the Halstead Leisure Centre and is built to FIFA standards which enables competitive grass root football fixtures to be played at all levels.

After securing a grant, Braintree council built the pitch at a cost of £751,600 with the council contributing to 30 per cent of the cost.

The previous pitch in Halstead was more than twelve years old and teams from Halstead Town Youth Football Club were having to play across five different venues.

Now the new pitch will allow the club to play all its matches in Halstead, accommodating 300 youth players, four senior teams and one ladies team.

The pitch can be booked via Fusion Lifestyle who operate the leisure centre and will be available to Ramsey Academy via a joint use agreement.

Braintree District Council Chairman Sue Wilson was in attendance at the event and added: “It was an honour to be in attendance at this event and see the official opening of this new sports facility in Halstead and its naming in tribute to a valuable and dearly missed member of the Halstead community.”