ARSONISTS torched a community pavilion in Carrington leaving the parish council and a veterans charity homeless – but the community is brushing itself off and starting from scratch.

Shortly before midnight on Tuesday August 9, fire crews were called to a blaze at the recreational fields and pavilion just off Manchester Road.

A fire had ripped through the building, causing irreparable damage, and it became clear to crews that it was the result of arson.

A metal grid on one of the windows had been prised open and firefighters had to rip off the grill to get inside and fight the fire.

Police were called to the scene to investigate and Carrington Parish Council have been told that the building needs to be pulled down.

The council has been based at the pavilion for almost 20 years and the building and fields were undergoing regeneration at the time of the blaze.

Only recently it became home to Trafford Veterans at The Mess, a charity which supports veterans and ex-emergency personnel.

In exchange for a HQ, members were going to help with the site revamp and bring it back into community use within the next year.

Sid Neil, chair of Carrington Parish Council, said: “What they have done by starting this fire is stop a lot of people – emergency services, police, ex-firemen and ex-military – who have given their time for their country from being able meet.

“They have taken that away from them. If that is all they have to do, they can stay away from Carrington.

“Some people think it is just an old, shattered building but it is functional and it is for the community.

“This is the first time anything like this has happened, Carrington is a nice quiet village, and this has shocked a lot of people.”

Co-founder of Trafford Veterans at The Mess, Andy Graham, is Carrington born and bred.

Andy, who worked in the army and as a firefighter, started the support group after developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

He said: “There are lots of national charities who give short term support to armed forces personnel and we wanted to offer long term support at a local level, be it for people who are struggling with getting back to civilian life, with job problems, mental issues.

“We are trying to help the people that have given so much to keep all of them safe; our army forces keep our country safe and the emergency services keep our families, homes and local community safe. Whoever did this should take a long hard look at themselves and ask themselves, ‘what am I doing with my life?’”

“The pavilion was perfect for us as we can use the building for indoor activities like photography and art and the outdoor space for sports and this has put a spanner in the works – but it won’t stop us.”

Sid said that securing funding has been an ongoing issue and that people in the community had been pitching in to regenerate the area. 

And since news of the fire broke, the community has come out in force.  After reading about the council’s plight, former Manchester United captain Gary Neville asked his friend, who owned a storage container business, if he could help.

The friend donated a security container.  Trafford Council also helped, offering a permanent container for the site and a skip to help with the clean-up.

“The response has been absolutely unbelievable,” said Sid.  “I honestly thought, when I first saw the fire, that that was it for Carrington Parish Council but so many people have come forward, asking how they can help and offering labour.”

Carrington Parish Council is still in need of materials and also furniture, in particular stackable chairs.

If you can help email info@carringtonparishcouncil.org.uk or text 07719 595 850. Get in touch through Facebook. For more information on Trafford Veterans for The Mess, visit the-mess.org.uk.