Storm Isha rips roof off Virginia Rugby clubrooms

The storm which took place last Sunday night ripped an area of the roof off the building, exposing the interior bar to slight water damage

Floods of volunteers rallied to Virginia Rugby Club yesterday to repair damage to the clubrooms roof caused by Storm Isha.

The storm which took place last Sunday night ripped an area of the roof off the building, exposing the interior bar to slight water damage.

Speaking to the Anglo-Celt, Yvonne Walsh explained “we’re lucky the whole lot didn’t go. A huge amount of volunteers showed up yesterday morning, they have it secured now, it’s a temporary fix but that’s about it. We know very little so far of what it will take to repair it correctly and we’re hoping that the rain will be kept out.

“They worked hours yesterday in the rain - sweeping up, cleaning up, putting on this temporary roof, just to secure it so that inside could be used.”

The club is not yet aware how much it will cost to fix the damage.

“We don’t know at this stage. The night before some water did come in but not a huge amount of water.”

“That’s our function room, our main clubhouse,” says Yvonne, explaining the important role the clubhouse plays in accommodating guests during match days and other events.

The group has now turned their attention to Storm Jocelyn which is set to hit the county with a yellow weather warning tonight. They are hoping the winds anticipated will not inflict further damage to the premises.

“I think there’ll be a crowd of us around in the morning to check,” Yvonna launched nervously.

“We’re trying to look at the future but it’s one step forward and two steps back. But it could be worse, we could have lost the whole lot.”