Sport England: Active Together has provided £8,000 of match funding
Chester le Street CC COVID Recovery Fund
Chester Le Street, England, United Kingdom
Aim
Please help us to overcome the ongoing financial challenges presented by the Covid-19 crisis and continue to drive our club forward.
About Us:
The first recorded match involving Chester-le-Street Cricket Club at the current Ropery Lane ground was against Durham City Cricket Club in 1866, with ten shillings up for grabs for the winners. We pride ourselves at being at the heart of our community, bringing together a perfect mix of sport enthusiasts and local people from all over the region under one roof.
The Effects of COVID-19 on CCC:
The COVID-19 pandemic shattered sporting communities everywhere, suspended our 2020 season and effectively brought all other activities to a grinding halt in April. This was a devastating blow to our club as we lost
- cricket at all levels
- pre season coaching preparations
- fund raising activities
- league games and county games
- a busy Summer of private functions
- income that all of the above would have brought.
We have not been able to open our doors fully since April 2020 and have worked tirelessly to open under local and national government restrictions as well as being forced to close again for a second lockdown. One of our busiest periods, as with many clubs, is over Christmas, yet the government restrictions meant that we were forced to remain closed throughout the festive period. These restrictions and lockdowns have severely curtailed our revenue for the better part of 9 months, although many of the overheads involved in running our club remain.
We have survived so far by minimising spend as much as possible, relying on the good will of our fantastic volunteers and have taken advantage of government support wherever and whenever possible and used what reserves we had earmarked for future improvements and ongoing maintenance of our facilities.
What are Your Donations Funding?:
- Facilitate ongoing essential maintenance to our clubhouse, including flat roof repairs
- Compensate for the loss of match-day and clubhouse bookings income, which will support all areas of the club while we work through the crisis
- Purchase of a new club tractor
Our clubhouse roof has weathered many a storm and been bombarded with plenty of big hits over the past 40 years and is fast approaching retirement. It has been in our strategy to raise funds for this project for the past couple of years and 2020 was going to be our big push. Add to this the financial hardship our club has faced throughout this pandemic we also plan to use some of the funds raised to bridge the financial issues we are currently experiencing.
Our Teams:
In addition to our four male senior teams we now have 2 successful Ladies teams and a Social team. Our Junior Club fields teams at Under 18, U15, U13, U12 U11 and U9 level as well as running girls teams at U15, U13 and U11 levels also. We can have up to 100 young people being coached on the field each Friday evening and Sunday morning as well as running All Stars Cricket. For over 150 years we have remained an open and welcoming cricket club for all.
How we Operate:
We are a volunteer-led club, managed by members for members. The Executive Committee provides hands-on day-to-day management and leads a strong, invaluable team of volunteer coaches, administrators, first-aiders and many others working collectively to make our club a success, from running raffles to managing the first team and everything in between. Members support our successful NatWest CricketForce Days each year, coming together to help with maintenance and cleaning in readiness for the season. They are keen to support club events and new initiatives such as our charity days, family fun days, concerts, food markets etc.
Today, our bar is one of the biggest draws for our members, as it is a thriving hub of social activity that fosters the club’s spirit of friendliness and community. With cricket being played almost every day of the week in the summer and plenty sport on offer in the bar during the winter we are a hub for our members to meet up and socialise while they casually chat away.
Our Club in the Community:
We pride ourselves on being at the heart of our community in Chester le Street and host annual community events such as;
- annual fireworks display
- artisan markets
- curry nights
- sportsman's dinners
- afternoon tea's and a wide range of other events.
- junior and senior teams' presentations
Please support us as we try to raise £20,000 to replace our roof so we are weather proof for the next 50 years and with your support we can continue to be the heart of our community in Chester le Street.
This project successfully funded on 30th April 2021