I went down to Brunton Park yesterday, the first time I've been since the first day of the clear up. This was a press call to show how far things have come since the that first day and the repairs are coming on in leaps and bounds.
The pitch itself, such a mammoth operation, was being covered in it's green swathe at amazing speed. A huge thanks to Stobarts for bringing the turf from Scunthorpe (not the club, the area). The firm who laid the turf were fascinating to watch. The turf in huge rolls came down an attachment on the back of a tractor, rather like an escalator in reverse. Another machine tamped it into place, a man with a rake kept an eye out for wrinkles and another had a machine like a large leaf blower to go over the turf to remove any loose soil. The workers had obviously done the job many times and the whole thing appeared a bit like one of those obscure modern dances. Everyone co-ordinated, man and machine, to move to the right place at the right time. In the time I was there, a couple of hours, nearly half the pitch was covered and as soon as it was down it really looked as though it had grown there, none of those lines between rolls that you often see when turf is laid.
When I took photos the last time the terraces were covered in a thick very slippery muddy slime, that has all been pressure washed away and the pitch surround (the fine red gravel) that had had holes in it after the flood now looks flat and back to normal.
Before I went to the club I really couldn't envisage a match being played in January at Brunton Park Now I really believe that it can happen.
Inside the club there is feverish activity in the players area. New benches have been made for the changing rooms, a floor was being skimmed down the corridor so I couldn't get to the away dressing room but I could well believe, with the workforce on the case, that the dressing rooms could be available in time for the first game. The electrics were working and everywhere down that end was warm and humming with the noise of saws and drills.
Other areas of the club, those not vital to be ready for the next game faired less well. The boardroom is still a sad sight , the trophy cabinet displaying a thick layer of mud on the bottom shelves, the admin offices still drying out and looking derelict . However the good news was that many of the admin staff have moved back to the club, working from temporary portacabins in the car park. Whilst space was very tight, the cabins were warm, had light and an internet connection and prove a home from home so staff can work on site.
The devastation was still very noticeable in the back offices in the Pioneer stand. Really sad to see the new children's play area wiped out. The ticket offices over there still to be dried out.
The stock room for the shop had been totally wiped out with water from floor to ceiling and all the stock lost. I took a couple of photos but unless you had been into those rooms when there were lights and power you really couldn't get the feeling of devastation ther. The shelves used to be heaving with brightly coloured clothes, predominately Carlisle blue of course, shiny with cellophane and a smell of newness. Now, no lights and a horrible damp musty smell, with a solitary cushion sitting forlornly in the mud on the floor. The shop itself was locked up, so I couldn't get in there but it looks like the Blues Store will be in action at the Cumberland Building Society in the city centre for a while yet.
All in all though a very positive experience. So many people have given there time to help out. Staff have worked above and beyond to get the stadium to the stage it is now. As a fan I'm pretty desperate to get back there, roll on the first match back!
