IT’S almost a year to the day since I last wrote about Pontypool RFC in this column.

Back then – still reeling from that unsuccessful High Court battle – and with financial meltdown a distinct possibility, the future for the club looked bleak.

Yet the turnaround over the last 12 months has been truly remarkable.

Crucially, the club are now on a solid financial footing, thanks to the incredible generosity of people like Peter Jeffreys, who invested more than £100,000 of his own money to help keep the club afloat.

The club’s directors, who raised more than £35,000 between them, also deserve huge praise, as do the many friends and supporters of Pontypool RFC, who gave so generously to the Fighting Fund in the club’s hour of greatest need – raising £85,000 in what are incredibly tough economic times.

The renewed sense of optimism is really tangible; there’s a real buzz about the club as they look forward to the new season, and the impact of the new corporate director, who has really bold and exciting ambitions for Pontypool’s future, is already clear to see.

The last few months have seen a raft of new sponsors brought on board, and deals with several existing sponsors renewed; the club’s website has had a much needed revamp and there’s work underway to improve facilities at Pontypool Park, including a new club shop.

Target 1000 – a joint campaign to attract 1,000 supporters to home matches being run by the club and the Argus’ sister paper, The Pontypool Free Press – is a really positive initiative, and on the pitch, with Mike Hook we have a first-class coach with a great backroom team behind him.

Indeed, with the signing of seven new players, there’s every reason to be hopeful that Pontypool can build on that fantastic run of form that saw them win six of the last seven games of the season.

I was particularly pleased to see that Terry Simons – long serving kit manager and Pooler fan since 1945 – was given the honour of choosing Pontypool’s away colours this year.

I’ve known Terry’s wife Jane – who’s also a lifelong Pooler fan – for many years and I think it’s a really positive sign that, despite the new era that’s been ushered in, the role that people like Terry play in the club continues to be recognised – after all, they truly are the lifeblood of clubs like Pontypool.