Successful lottery pitch scores £15k boost towards cost of carrying out major Walsall Cricket Club revamp

The grant was awarded by the National Lottery's Sport England Movement Fund to boost an initial £15,000 raised by the members who embarked on a series of fundraising activities to buy new practise lanes and nets, industrial lawn mowers, revamp the ladies changing rooms, improve storage, replace the old benches and picnic tables at the ground in Gorway Road in Highgate.

But the bowled over club bosses say there is still much work to do to attract more donations from supporters and businesses to spruce up the tired facilities to attract more players and fans for the future. So far the appeal has netted £35,000 and the senior teams which play in the South Staffordshire County League want to surpass this score.

The improvement project is expected to cost around £70,000 when completed.

The club's entertainment manager Savina Badhan says: "We are hugely grateful and thankfully to our members and to everybody who enjoys themselves at the club for helping us to reach our target of £30,000. Sports England Movement Fund has put in an extra £15,000 to match-fund us to reach that £30,000 milestone which is absolutely amazing."

"The club's been here for 200 years and there's old companies in Walsall that have been here for just as long and we want to call for them to help us - £200, £300, £400 will help us reach a greater target and make this club here for generations to come. So if any companies are out there, please help us." 

Club president Jane Moore, who was recently appointed its first ever female president, adds: "The fundraising hasn't stopped. We've got other events coming up in the next couple of weeks and these will continue through to the end of January when the crowdfunding page will officially close.

"So we're still appealing to our members and people out there to help support us so that we can get new facilities for the club so that future generations of cricketers will benefit from them."

Fundraising efforts have included filming a special appeal video, music nights and the teams taking part in the sponsored  Run Through Cannock Chase Running Festival. 

The club was founded in 1812 in the Chuckery area of the town before the current site was bought in 1907. It has hundreds of members on the books with many been at the club since aged five. 

Up coming fundraising events include a New Years Eve party. Tickets cost £10 per person.

To book event tickets and to donate towards the improvement project visit crowdfunder.co.uk/p/walsall-cricket-club-fundraiser