Holmbury St Mary CC Roof Appeal

Who are we?

Holmbury St Mary Cricket Club is in many ways the quintessential village club; an undeniably pretty ground, a history that can be traced back to Victorian times (reflecting the history of the village itself), a familiar and much-admired Surrey Hills landmark and now an organisation at the centre of village life.

We have been playing cricket on our spectacular ground high in the Surrey Hills since 1892.

Since the 1960s our Pavilion, which was designed by the renowned artist Bill Narraway who lived in the village at the time, has been the club’s home, providing shelter and shade – not to mention mouth-watering teas and a cooling drink – whatever the weather!

Why are we crowdfunding?

The original cedar shingle roof after many years loyal service is rotting away and needs replacing. The option of cheaper, modern day materials has been rejected due to the building’s prominence in an AONB – and so we face a price tag of £32,000.

How we’ll spend the money raised

To carry on providing all the opportunities for the local community that has so depended on us, we need a watertight pavilion and that’s where you and our new roof comes in. Following previous leaks, there are serious concerns the roof won’t last the coming winter so any donation you can make to help us reach our target and get the work done that will replace our entire roof this autumn will be a huge help.

Community impact

Our cricket club has long been at the centre of our community for all the ages.

Local schools have played their cricket matches on the ground (a tradition we hope to expand on with the establishment of an independent school for neurodiverse children and young people) and we are now embarking on training to establish an ECB All Stars programme for 5 to 8 year olds.

But Holmbury is not just about cricket.

The ground is the go-to venue for major village celebrations and events such as the recent Coronation and our annual Village Picnic and Sports Day.

For many years we have been home to our local stoolball club and for those who are a little older and prefer less energetic sporting endeavours our Wednesday night bowls and Friday night croquet sessions in the summer cater for all ages and abilities. 

And if even that sounds too exhausting the pavilion provides the perfect opportunity for a social drink with fellow villagers.

Thank you, from all our community, for your support

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. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!