Bonds Glen Cricket Club Facility Upgrade

Aim

Our main goal for this project is to upgrade our clubhouse facilities which will benefit the entire community!

Who are we?

Bonds Glen Cricket Club is a cricket team that play in the Championship of the North West Cricket Union League. We are based in the rural area of Bonds Glen. Our club was founded in 1948 and has become more than a cricket club since then. It is a social hub for the surrounding area!

We currently have 12 playing teams, built up of 2 senior men's teams, 1 senior ladies team, a men's midweek team along with 4 underage boys teams and 4 underage girls teams! Bonds Glen cricket club also runs mini tournaments for underage groups that there is no league for such as an under 9s competition. 

During the summer months when we have youth practice on, there could be as many as 70 children up at the pitch at one time, which for a rural club like Bonds Glen, is a remarkable achievement in itself!

Our Under 13 girls team also won the All Ireland trophy this year which was amazing for a team that is in a rural area. 

Over the last few years we have also started to be allocated cup match finals, which brings a real crowd to our club, and shows how far we have came to get to this stage!

This year, we started up a youth club that is open to the entire community. since it started up, we have had over 20 children between the ages of 11 and 17 up Every week, showing how important and popular these events are. So far some of the activities that we have offered to them during the youth club are: pool and darts, Halloween party which included making chocolate apples, quiz and pizza night- along with a talk on 'violence against women', games nights with an Xbox, just dance and chippy food for everyone, pottery painting, bingo night and our most recent- Christmas party and lights switch on.

How we’ll spend the money raised

If successful, and we are able to raise our target, we will be able to add an extension onto our Clubhouse which will be our clubs new home changing room. Not only will it be a changing room, but a space that can be opened up into our current social area, creating more space for the events that we hold at the moment which are: Bonds Glen youth Club, Bonds Glen Community group, Karaoke Night, Monthly Music Band night with pick the lock, and more! 

Community impact

Since our formation in 1948, Bonds Glen Cricket Club has endeavoured to not only facilitate the local residents of the Kildoag area to play the sport of cricket, but to provide a focal point around which people from a very rural and isolated area can come together as a community. As we often state, our club is about much more than just cricket. Our club provides an outlet for people of all ages and abilities to come together, exercise, socialise and build friendships. As well as our training and competitions, the club also regularly hosts social occasions, community teas, personal development training and mental health events. On top of the sporting events, these community events give local residents from all age groups, genders and backgrounds the opportunity to come together as one. These positive expressions of community have always been so important during turbulent political times when it was so easy for young people to get caught up in negative behaviour but the activities provided by our club help these young people stay connected, feel supported and out of anti-social behaviour.

We wish to expand the facilities we have to further develop asafe and inclusive hub for a very rural and isolated community to meet, socialise and support each other. The residents who use our facilities come from within the Slievekirk, Banagher & Claudy2 Super Output Areas of of Derry City and Strabane District Council Area and the need for the services provided by our club is highlighted by the high rate of deprivation of these SOAs. In terms of proximity to services, Banagher is ranked 41 out of 890, Slievekirk is 52 out of 890 and Claudy2 is 32 out of 890 SOAs therefore giving a clear indication of the deprivation this area suffers from in terms of accessing services. The majority of people therefore living in Northern Ireland have better access to services than people living in our club catchment.

Every donation, brings us closer to this project becoming reality. By supporting this project, you will not only help redevelop a building but also strengthen a rural inclusive community club.

How you can play your part

There are a few 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 everyone 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. 

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made