WTCHC Hockey Pitch Refurbishment

Aim

Help WTCHC raise funds to complete refurbishment work of the astroturf pitch - a new playing surface, fence, lights and spectators' area

• Who are WTCHC?

Wisbech Town Cricket and Hockey Club is a historic, community hub in the heart of the Cambridgeshire Fens. WTCHC has offered an outlet and warm embrace to a diverse local community. 

The two sections of hockey and cricket, offer multiple different player pathways from recreational to competitive sporting opportunities to over 300 members. We have numerous men's, ladies and mixed sides and boast a thriving junior section across both sports, with our youngest members joining us from the age of four.

Why are we crowdfunding?

Our Astroturf pitch has reached the end of its life and needs a full refurbishment. The current pitch was previously condemned by England Hockey in December 2019, and thanks to drastic remedial work in July 2020, its use was permitted again. Further remedial work is not possible, and in order to secure safe playing facilities for the future, the pitch must be replaced before the 2023/24 hockey season.

The club is incredibly fortunate to have been gifted £375,000 from three donors enabling work to begin in the Spring of 2023 to lay a new shock pad, a new sand-dressed playing surface, new LED floodlights, a new spectator area and a new perimeter fence.

With the price of the essential refurbishment being over £400,000 and additional items yet to be financed such as maintenance equipment, dugouts and replacement goals, the club are looking to complete this work and pay the final balance by the end of June ahead of the 2023/24 season.

How the money will be spent?

• New sand-dressed carpet and shock pad - We have chosen a sand-dressed carpet due to the faster ball speed and softer and less abrasive surface.
• New and upgraded lighting - Pivotal for the winter months and evening training to ensure play is safe and effective. Modern LED lights will not only mean superior light quality, but they will require little warm-up time and will be more cost-effective to run, minimising our environmental impact. 
• A new 3-metre fence will surround the pitch with raised height areas behind each goal. We have also included two recess areas for storing goals.
• We have chosen to include a new 2-metre-wide spectator areawith a 1.2-metre fence, to help keep our spectators safe and allow umpires to have the room they need to umpire the game. 

Inspired by Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

The commonwealth Games in Birmingham was particularly pivotal for England Women who won Gold for the first time since the sport's inception in 1998. This has galvanised the local community with membership thriving in the guise of a new ladies team. We have seen players returning to hockey who haven't played since their school days as well as welcoming completely new players to the sport.

Adding an additional weeknight training session to our already successful Saturday session for our junior section has allowed even more new faces to join our club. Only recently, on Sunday the 26th February, we had over 100 children from three local clubs competing across three different age groups on our home ground.  

The 'Places and Spaces' match investment would help us raise the necessary funds to complete the refurbishment of our pitch and give us the platform to further promote and enjoy the sport in our local area. With the new pitch, we have ambitious plans to grow our club and give children and adults the opportunity to play hockey, have fun, develop a sense of camaraderie and achievement, and stay active. We would like to host sports camps and festivals for local school children and expand our hockey program with new activities such as walking hockey and family sessions.

Community Impact

Our new pitch will not only allow WTCHC to continue to provide Hockey for all ages, it will also support our cricket section with fitness sessions and ladies softball. We will also be working with Active Fenland to offer new initiatives such as 'Family Games' and 'Family Cricket'. Our refurbished pitch will also give the children of Peckover Primary School a rejuvenated area for their playtime and physical education lessons and allow the local community to hire the area for activities such as football and children's parties. 

Our Members

Here are a few quotes about how WTCHC has had a positive impact on some of our members:

'The club has enabled me to create a circle of friends who I would have struggled to have made in other environments' - from a 25-year-old mens hockey and cricket player

'The club has given me guidance throughout my life with people of all ages looking out for me and offering invaluable support and advice. Joining WTCHC is much more than signing up to play a sport, it is about being taken in by a  community that never leaves you' - from a 30-year-old womens hockey and cricket player and committee member

'Hockey wasn’t something I’d ever thought of playing I knew nothing about it. Having a taster session at my primary school I decided aged 10 to give it a go at the club. Fast forward a decade I now play for the men’s team and umpire. I qualified as coach and I’m now trying to inspire the juniors of the club in the same way that I was. I have had so much support and encouragement from everyone at the club I wanted to give something back.' - from a 20-year-old male hockey player, umpire and coach

'Coming back as a former member and being able to reminisce about playing hockey in the 60s has been heartwarming and the atmosphere at the club is as welcoming as it ever was, it is so lovely to see the youngsters coming through the club and keeping it alive and vibrant.' 

Please watch our video to understand who we are and how we benefit our local community 

How to get involved

• Make a pledge - Help us build momentum and donate towards our new pitch today.
• Spread the word - Share our project on your social media pages and tell friends, family and local businesses to get behind us. The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
• Auction of Promises - Donate towards our 'Auction of Promises' to promote your business and help us reach our target. You can bid online for gifts, experiences or skills that have been pledged and there will be a live auction on Sunday 9th April. 
• Take part in our sponsored events - Join us on Easter Sunday for our 'Easter Bonanza' - activities include an Easter egg hunt, fun run, sponsored walk, run, bike or swim, encouraging the whole town to come together. We will have fete stalls, a bouncy castle, live music and dance. 
• Join us as part of the King's Coronation - We would love you to join us to celebrate, buy a car boot pitch and contribute towards our fundraising milestone.  
• Run your own sponsored/fundraising event - If you have your own idea for a fundraiser please use the 'Start Fundraising' link (located just above where you can donate) to set up your own page. You will be able to select your own project target and title, add videos or images and share information about our campaign. You will not need to add your bank details as all funds that you raise will go straight to the WTCHC campaign. 
• Keep an eye out for our newsletter which will give you regular updates about how we are getting on and all of our other events that are coming up, such as our recycling scheme, craft fair and clothes swap. 

Our Rewards 

Funding method

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