8th July 2020
| Mallory Gray
Cricket Wales would like to thank all the organisations and
individuals who have contributed to 161 of our clubs receiving grants and loans
to help protect them through this most difficult time over the last 3 months.
With Coronavirus hitting the UK just as our season would
have been due to get underway, clubs up and down Wales had to shut up their
premises, practice and playing areas, which has meant no subs, limited
opportunities for fundraising, no social events, no bar income and,
understandably, a difficult sell for sponsors.
Every Club
Despite that, Cricket Wales’ Area Managers have been extremely
busy, proactively ensuring every affiliated club in Wales has been aware of and
able to apply for the range of Welsh Government grants via the 22 local
authorities, the grants and loans schemes of the England & Wales Cricket
Board (ECB) and the Sport Wales Emergency Relief Fund.
A number of our clubs have additionally been supported
financially, being part of another athletic association who have applied for
funding. Adding these clubs to the 161 who have received support directly, means
that 100% of our clubs have been supported and advised with regards to the financial
help available to them.
In
total, over one third of Wales’ affiliated clubs have successfully applied to
the Sport Wales Emergency Relief Fund (totalling 10% of all awards granted). Sport
Wales launched its new BeActiveWales fund on Tuesday 7th July. This
is the follow-up scheme to the ERF. Details are here We would encourage clubs to look at the ‘Prepare’ phase for
when cricket resumes and consult with their Area Manager on the specifics of
their applications. NB bids should be about what you need to overcome barriers to taking part again.
Cricket Wales CEO, Leshia Hawkins, commented, “We are
extremely grateful to all of our partners for supporting Cricket in Wales in
these unprecedented times. My team have done an outstanding job of ensuring
clubs have been aware of the avenues of assistance available to them and
guiding clubs through the application process.
“I would especially like to extend my thanks to all the
committee members and club volunteers who have worked tirelessly to secure
their clubs financially. We can now look forward to preparing to play, we hope
very soon, and our clubs being able to provide opportunities for their
communities, especially kids, to take part safely in our sport.”