Upminster Cricket Club and Upminster Hockey Club have submitted a bid to Veolia to part-fund a pavilion upgrade for their rapidly growing memberships.
The pavilion bid has received backing from Hornchurch & Upminster MP, Julia Lopez, who visited the site with her team to discuss how to help the clubs with their plans. The pavilion, first built in the 1960s, is no longer fit for purpose and requires significant work to bring it up to a modern standard.
Upminster Cricket and Hockey Clubs have seen a huge increase in their memberships at all levels in recent years, including the growth of their women's teams. The Cricket Club now has fifteen women's and girls' teams, while the Hockey Club has fourteen - but the pavilion lacks dedicated changing rooms and showers to cater for them.
In a bid to raise funds for their upgrade project - which would also see the pavilion rewired and social areas improved - the clubs are submitting a funding bid to the Veolia Environmental Trust. The bid includes a letter of support from Mrs Lopez, who has highlighted both clubs' importance to the local community and the government's wider drive to get more people involved in grassroots sport.
Last Friday during a visit to Upminster Cricket Club, Julia Lopez commented:
“It’s been fantastic to visit Upminster Cricket and Hockey Clubs and hear about the explosion in the number of people wanting to get involved in what they do, including kids and women - making sport a true family activity. As a Minister in the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, I have been working to support the government's push to get one million more young people physically active by 2030, and it’s these kinds of projects which do just that.
“I’m proud to be giving my full support to their important Veolia bid so that the clubs can deliver the facilities that their members need. Upminster Cricket and Hockey Clubs have been involved in so many great local projects including coaching at our secondary schools and helping to improve those schools' facilities. I’d like to thank the members and leaders of both clubs for all they do in our community, and wish them the best with the bid. My team and I will also be exploring what more we can do in support of the pavilion project, including exploring future bids to Sports England'.
Chairman of Upminster Cricket Club Oliver Peck added:
“Upminster Cricket & Hockey Clubs have enjoyed many years of growth thanks to the tireless work of a huge number of volunteers. Both clubs are prominent parts of the Upminster community, and engage hundreds of people in sporting activity. Whilst our Pavilion is much-loved it is simply no longer adequate to support the facilities needed, and is particularly lacking in providing safe and adequate changing facilities for our thriving Women’s and Junior sections.
“We are very grateful to Veolia for considering our application, and to all parts of the local community who have provided such overwhelming backing for the project. Having the support and guidance of our local MP has been really helpful in understanding what help is out there for community clubs.”
The development comes as part of Julia’s wider campaign to ensure that all residents in Hornchurch and Upminster have access to fantastic grassroots facilities and can benefit from what sport has to offer.
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