Church CC - Away from Home
Here is former Church junior Emma Gardner, Performance Nutritionist for England Cricket with a message from Sri Lanka.
Who we are
At Church and Oswaldtwistle Cricket Club, we are proud that we have been providing the opportunity for our community to play and watch cricket since 1856. We have a home in the West End of Oswaldtwistle that is maintained by volunteers, and our teams compete in the historic Lancashire League. Our Junior section is growing and in 2021 we hope to field our first ever girls teams.
However, whilst cricket remains central to what we do, our club is here for the whole community and everyone is welcome.
Our purpose
It is our mission to bring people together and this is central to every decision we make as a club. We feel fortunate to have the facilities which we have built and see it as our duty to share with others. Our good friends at Ossy Joggers have used our pitch and bar for their Annual Christmas 5k and quiz with both raising funds for charity:
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We also organise a range of events which are completely separate from the cricket which attract people from the local area to come together and celebrate, such as our annual New Years Eve party which was packed with residents from our local area:
Our Ladies Day may take place on a matchday, but the cricket is very-much a sideshow as we fill the room with new friends for a fantastic afternoon of entertainment and socialising:
We care
It is in our nature to think about the needs of others, and we are committed to raising funds for charities throughout the year. This summer, 2 of our First XI players are cycling coast to coast, 140 miles from Workington to Tynemouth to raise money for the stroke association. Once they return, we are hoping to celebrate their success with a social evening at the club with the aim of doubling any funds they have already raised for the charity.
If you feel as though you are in a position to help this great cause too, please contact Levi on 07714687957.
2020 and the impact of Covid-19
We are proud of our history, but also aware that the wonderful family that we have exists only whilst we are able to raise the funds needed in order to maintain it. 2020 has been a tough year for everyone, and although we were able to achieve great success on the field, like so many other clubs, we suffered great financial losses off it.
Our Golf Day, a fixture in the fundraising calendar since 2003, had to be cancelled. As did our Sportsman's Dinner. Members subscriptions were down, as was advertising income, gate receipts, tearoom takings and match fees. Our bar, which normally brings in an income of £45,000, was closed for the summer. We lost over £58,000 in fundraising income overall.
The Future
We understand that everyone is suffering during this time, however, because we realise the value which our club has in the lives of our members, supporters and friends, we look to the future with a plan. Normally we raise funds through our own endeavours, but we are now asking for your support to achieve our goals:
1. To increase participation in Junior Cricket
Children in our area have be impacted hugely by the affects of the pandemic. Their physical and social wellbeing can be greatly improved if we can increase the provision for young people at our club, and provide them with a safe environment in which to exercise and socialise. We want to increase the number of children accessing sessions at the club with the ambitious goal of reaching 50 new junior players who regularly attend in 2021. In order to do this we will:
- expand the All Stars and Dynamos programme - £2500
- pay for club members to enter the ECB coach education programme - £600
- employ a coach to deliver sessions in local schools to promote this - £2400
- host and assist in the organisation of local school competitions at Primary and Secondary level -£200
- purchase new equipment for coaching and protective equipment for young players - £1000
- run a summer camp for boys and girls in the summer holidays. Given that we are in an area of high deprivation, funds raised will ensure this is highly subsidised - £2000
2. To carry our repairs/maintenance on ground machinery - £4000
- We don't employ a groundsman at Church. Instead, we have a small number of skilled volunteers who have worked tirelessly over a number years to purchase/rebuild/refurbish equipment to enable us to work on our ground. Some of this machinery is in need of repair or replacement.
3. Ground and pitch maintenance - £1500
- With increased participation will come the increased cost of preparing the field and pitches for play. The cost of doing so in 2020 was met through donations and we will need similar help to purchase the raw materials required to ensure we begin the season with a field that is ready for play.
4. To improve ground facilities to encourage further community use - £4000
- Events of all kinds take place in our function room. Not only is this available to our members but we actively encourage its use for the whole of our community. In order to broaden to potential for community use, we want to convert a former store room into a new kitchen and food preparation area.
5. To fix our leaky pavilion roof - £2000
Our pavilion has been a fantastic build and really stood the test of time. However, we need to urgently repair the roof as it currently leaks and is in danger of causing further damage.
Every donation that you make is extremely valuable to us. We hope that if we can raise £10,000 then Sport England will match this through their Return to play: Active Together funding.