An urgent appeal from Charlbury Cricket Club!
During the evening of Friday 20th July, as no doubt you are aware, severe flood damage was experienced by a number of residences in Dyers Hill and Mill Lane, as well as by Charlbury Cricket Club. The effects on both homeowners and the Cricket Club are significant, with 95% of the equipment at the Cricket Club currently considered to be unsalvageable.
Charlbury Cricket Club is one of the leading community organisations within Charlbury, offering sport and recreation to over 80 adults (women and men), 120 youth members between the ages of 6 and 17 years and 40 children aged between 3 and 5 years.
Undoubtedly, there will be severe consequences for the Cricket Club for the rest of this season as opportunities to play cricket will be limited over the next few weeks, with the machinery and pavilion likely to be completely unusable for the rest of the season at best.
That said, it is not the nature of the members of the Cricket Club to be defeated by the small matter of a flood. Therefore an emergency meeting was held at the Bell Hotel on Monday 23rd July, with a five-point plan being established. The plan is as follows:
• To restore youth and tots cricket as soon as possible for the current season, with a view to commencing youth activities from Monday 6th August at the Club.
• To hire both temporary changing and toilet facilities until the end of the season.
• To hire a roller and other equipment needed to maintain all aspects of the ground.
• To try to commence adult cricket from Saturday 11th August.
• To establish an emergency fund to support cricket within Charlbury for the remainder of this season and for the future.
We have received numerous offers of help, ranging from the loan of two mowers by Great Tew Cricket Club, offers of playing facilities at nearby clubs and the loan of a tractor for the rest of the season by Rob Jackson. We have been deeply touched by both the sentiments expressed by Charlbury residents and their willingness to help and in response to a number of suggestions we are now setting up an emergency appeal to assist in our aim of restoring cricket at Charlbury.
Whilst the Club is hoping to benefit from our current insurance policy, the very fact that the pavilion is located within an area of the flood plain means that the level of insurance cover is significantly less than the amount that will need to be spent to restore all the existing facilities at the Club to the state they were in before the flood. We have estimated that the shortfall is likely to be in excess of £100,000. Again, whilst this is a significant barrier to fully restoring cricket at Charlbury, all members are committed to the goal of raising whatever sums are required.
Therefore, if you would like to assist us in our goal of restoring cricket in Charlbury and would like to contribute to the emergency fund you can pay in one of two ways:
Pay direct into our emergency fund:
Charlbury Cricket Club Pavilion Fund
Account Number 70959758
Sort Code 20-97-48
Barclays bank plc, Witney Branch
Please leave a reference if possible
Send a cheque made payable to “Charlbury Cricket Club” to:
Charlbury Cricket Club
c/o Malcolm Harper
The Cottages
Church Lane
Charlbury
Oxon OX7 3PX
Any donation, however small, will go a long way to restoring cricket in Charlbury.
We very much appreciate your help.
Thank you
Paul Jenkins
Emergency Fund Coordinator (01608 811778)
www.charlburycricketclub.com
Derek Collett · Fri 27 Jul 2007, 11:58 · Link