Dorridge Cricket Club - Pavilion Interior Fit-out

Who are we?

Dorridge Cricket Club will be 100 years old in 2028.  It's a club that has lots to celebrate and is well placed to achieve even more.

We have

• 4 Saturday League teams
• 3 Senior women's teams
• Sunday Social XI team
• Sunday Bash team
• 28 Junior girls' and boys' teams & All Stars (approx 300 kids)
• Junior to Senior pathway open and encouraged

Young and Old want to play a part in the club's evolution.

The story so far.......

In 2016, initial discussions were held about developing a second ground at Dorridge Cricket Club, on the wheat field adjacent to the existing pitch.  This was to help address the chronic shortage of cricket facilities across the West Midlands, especially for Women and Girls.  The legal process started for the change of use of the land and planning permission was obtained.....and then the pandemic hit.  As with so many projects across the country, no progress was able to be made.  

In 2022, work was able to get underway.  With the help of an ECB grant, a second cricket pitch was developed.  This was Phase 1 of the project.

Our 2022 crowdfunder campaign

Thank you so much to everyone who supported us in 2022.  We raised in excess of £20,000, including £6,000 of funding from Sport England.  This, together with an allocation of NCIL funding and other fundraising initiatives, enabled us to start Phase 2 of our project in September 2023.  This was to build the shell of a new pavilion and changing facilities on the new ground.  We now have a water-tight exterior shell of a building and it's looking fantastic!

What are we crowdfunding for now?

Solar panels and Solar Assisted Heat Pump

At Dorridge Cricket Club, we are committed to caring for the environment and reducing our carbon footprint.  As part of the completion process for the interior fit-out, we would like to install 6 solar panels on the roof of the building as well as a battery.  We expect the solar energy generated to meet our electric needs and the surplus would be sold to the grid.

We would also like to install Solar Assisted Heat Pumps for the hot water storage cylinders.  Utilising thermodynamic principles, these would capture energy from the air surrounding the evaporater panels fixed to the building and transfer this energy to water circulating from the connected cylinders to efficiently and cost effectively provide hot water.

Both of these installations would reduce our carbon footprint significantly and help us to play our part in tackling climate change.  They would also help us reduce our energy bills, the savings from which would be spent on providing a better environment for our players.

We feel we are in a unique position to be able to address these environmental issues.  We have a blank canvas on the inside of the building and we want to get it right and make a big difference for the environment.  We hope that our finished building will be used as a case study by the ECB to show other clubs how to become self sufficient in their energy usage.

Interior fit-out

We are also fundraising for the interior fit-out of the new building.  Please watch the video at the top of this page to see what we need to do! 

The specification of the build eg facilities, size of changing areas etc follows those defined by the ECB.  Our selected layout has been designed with the use of the facility by Women and Girls at the forefront of our thinking, as well as including disabled access.  This will cost approximately £60,000.  The interior fit out includes:

• Electrics
• Fibre cabling
• Partitioning
• Flooring
• Decorating
• Sanitary ware including showers, toilets and sinks
• Plumbing

Are you able to help us acquire any of the items above?  Or can you help with the labour?  Please get in touch!  We would love to hear from you!

This crowdfunder campaign

Given the success of our previous crowdfunder campaign and the fantastic support we received from the Community, we are now asking for your help to raise £37,500.  We initially set our target for this campaign at £20,000 but due to the support received from people and businesses so far, we have been encouraged to increase it to £37,500.  Our +extra funder has offered an increase to their pledge if we reach this new target!

If we can raise £27,500 from a minimum of 100 supporters, we will receive a +extra funding pledge of £10,000.   

Aviva are match funding donations from unique supporters up to £250.  These funds will be spent on the energy efficient areas of the project, namely the solar panels and solar assisted heat pumps.

If you are able to make a donation, please click on the link.  There are some fantastic rewards available.

In return for a significant donation, we are able to offer advertising boards, sponsorship and promotion across our website and social media - please get in touch if this may be of interest to your business.  Dorridge Cricket Club is a Community Amateur Sports Club with a Charity Reference number, enabling limited companies to deduct the value of the donation from total profits before paying tax.

Who will this project benefit?

The primary beneficiaries of this new pitch and facilities will be Women and Girls, for whom the growth of cricket is currently being held back due to a chronic lack of space and facilities, as identified in the Solihull Playing Pitch Strategy.

 Warwickshire Cricket Board (WCB) will use the ground as a priority for Women and Girls' games, enabling them to build a strong, sustainable and inclusive network across Warwickshire, the West Midlands and beyond.  In fact, we hope that Dorridge Cricket Club will become a Women and Girls' cricket hub for the region.

Here is Ellie Phillips at a training session at Dorridge Cricket Club, telling us more about the exciting time this is for Women and Girls at the Club.

WCB will also use the ground to run school festivals and competitions, which will benefit the whole of the Solihull region, as well as Coach Development Courses, benefitting not just the immediate but also wider area.

There will also be community-based coaching sessions to introduce new young players to the game.  The second ground and accompanying pavilion/changing facilities will enable so many more young people to start playing cricket.

Why is sport so important?

According to the NHS, rates of probable mental health disorders have increased since 2017; in 6 to 16 year olds from one in nine (11.6%) to one in six (17.4%).

As quoted by Sport England, being physically active can improve mood, decrease the chance of depression and anxiety and lead to a better and more balanced lifestyle.

Support from key members of the community

Saqib Bhatti MBE MP "Helping the local community get involved in sport is so important, especially after the pandemic when many people were unable to exercise which had a huge impact on mental health.  These new facilities will not only benefit those who play cricket, but they will also be used for school competitions and festivals which will benefit the whole community"

Andy Wyles, Participation & Growth Manager, WCB "We at WCB are happy to support this project.  We have worked with the Club over the last 5 years as they have developed their plans for the second ground.  We have come to understand how this will help with the growth of the game, not just at Dorridge but the wider community.  It is a truly exciting opportunity for everyone involved in cricket to grow the game, especially the Women and Girls' game which will be the primary benefactor of this excellent project."

Councillor Ian Courts, SMBC "To be honest, I have been staggered by the persistence, tenacity and initiative you have shown in pursuing this project, despite 'obstacles' such as Covid and the incredible complications that this project has thrown against you. The borough is trying hard to promote sport and active leisure activities, especially engaging young people, and needs the support of community groups and volunteers such as yourself. And I am really grateful for the work you and colleagues are showing in pursuing the project".

Please help us achieve this year's target

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!

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who has supported us with this project so far.  We are now in the final phase and can't wait to complete the interior fit-out so that the new facilities can be used and start making a huge difference to so many lives, especially Women and Girls.  We would be so grateful for any support you can give us.