Ongar Town Council has appointed  new manager of an Ongar sports centre.

Angus McKenzie, who has lived in Ongar for 12 years, has been put in charge of the Love Lane Sports and Social Facility in Love Lane.

Club supporters submitted a petition with 570 signatures to the authority’s finance committee on July 20th calling for affordable sport to be maintained under community management.

Town councillors were accused of disregarding the community at a previous meeting, but unanimously voted to press ahead with plans to upgrade facilities and rebrand it as Ongar Jubilee Park as of February 2015.

Mr McKenzie was involved with the delivery of the athletics programme at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and designed all the operational planning for the Track and Field and Marathon events at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

He also has experience in working within the Sports and Social member’s club sector.