Clubhouse Refurbishment

Aim

The clubhouse was last refurbished over 20 years ago and desperately needs a full makeover so that guests can socialise in comfort.

The club was founded in 1877 and members have worked hard over the years to build the existing facilities.  The club's aim has always been to offer and encourage greater participation in cricket and other sports and to support our members and the local community from both a physical and social perspective. We are proud to deliver a welcoming,  inclusive and fun atmosphere in which to take part in cricket and social activities.  

The club is run entirely by volunteers, including the management committee, coaches, ground staff and many others who give their time freely.  We have been Clubmark accredited since 2014, recognising us as a safe, child friendly club.  

We now run 

• All-Stars for 5-8 year olds, 
• Dynamos for 9-13 year olds plus 
• junior teams at u9/11/13/15/17 age groups 
• 3 senior teams and 
• we are planning to introduce girls/ladies cricket in the near future.

The ground and practice facilities have been improved in recent years and we now need to refurbish the clubhouse for the comfort of the people who use the club to socialise and/or celebrate special occasions.

The why

Players have seen big improvements to the playing and practice area in recent years following the installation of drainage on the outfield and relaying of the square.  This has meant better playing and practice facilities to encourage more people, of all ages and gender, to take part in cricket activities.  

Disabled access has been improved and we now have a pleasant patio area for spectating or socialising outside in good weather, but the clubhouse has been gradually getting worse for wear and needs refurbishing so that members, guests and people attending private functions can enjoy a relaxing and pleasant time in comfortable surroundings.

The clubroom and bar are our major source of income and this refurbishment will offer a pleasant and welcoming environment for the community to use, attracting more people/businesses to use the club for events (e.g. business meetings; team building events) as well as the special family occasions.  Covid reduced our income significantly, which delayed the club refurbishment, and whilst we have raised some funds it is not enough and this event will hopefully give us the last push to reach our overall target. 

How can you help?

As a volunteer-run club we raise funds through club events and are able to access small grants but the cost of the refurbishment needs more and donations from members, families, friends and the wider community will be greatly appreciated to help us to continue to develop the club for the benefit of everyone.  

We are using our Annual Beer Festival to attract sponsors to donate in return for free entry and publicity. 

Please donate however much you feel comfortable with; we are well aware that individuals and businesses are being impacted by economic pressures and the increased cost of living and everyone’s individual wellbeing is the priority. However, if you can spare any money to donate, large or small, we would really appreciate the support....................and don't forget to share with your family and friends.

How we’ll spend the money raised

The money raised will go with other funds we have raised to date to:

• Make alterations to open up the 'committee room' so that it becomes part of the main lounge, increasing capacity whilst offering a quieter area away from the dance floor
• Re-upholster the fixed wall seating that will be retained - some will be removed to give a larger area of free-standing tables and chairs
• Replace the tables and stools with new tables and more comfortable chairs
• Replace the carpet with a mix of carpet and wood floor appropriate to the use of that area of the room
• Give the bar a facelift to bring it back to its original condition and replace the floorcovering behind the bar

If we raise our stretch target we will be able to improve the lighting to give more ambience and install a PA/sound system for events and possibly some lighting around the dance floor. 

A successful Crowdfunder event in 2020, which was supported by the Sport England Return to Play: Active Together funding scheme, enabled us to:

• purchase a new roller, 
• re-lay the square and provide new junior and practice pitches as well as 
• purchasing furniture for the patio area.  

We are hoping that people will support this event and that it will be as successful and enable us to secure the extra funds we need to refurbish the interior of the club to benefit everyone.

Support from the public for our Crowdfunding events keeps our volunteers going as they see how appreciated their efforts are and we hope that you will get behind us again and help us to take the next step forward.

Our bit in the community

We host several annual community events, including the 

• Bonfire and Fireworks Display

• Beer Festival

• Pub and Club T20 Knockout Tournament

..........which all attract visitors from the village and wider local area.  

The clubhouse and ground are hired for private parties, business meetings and social events and these have increased since Covid lockdowns ended. 

Additionally we host several local groups and social activities

• ECB Last Man Stands initiative - we host up to 40 'social' matches per season, 
• a local amateur radio club are based at the club, 
• a mixed rounders team enjoy the use of our pitch and the social side of the club and 
• a football team use the changing rooms for home games.  
• Weightwatchers held meetings at the club for several months prior to Covid

We are genuinely a hub for many community activities and a refurbished club will benefit everyone who visits the club.

How you can play your part

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Create a fundraiser of your own. Use the button on our page to get started. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!

This project successfully funded on 5th October 2022