A donation of £2,500 from the Barker-Mill Foundation (BMF) has helped Langley Manor Cricket Club take a step closer towards its fundraising target of £200,000, which will be used for alterations and extension of the club house due to growing demand for use of the facilities.
The funds will also benefit the wider Club by increasing the size of the home and away changing rooms, upgrading and modernising the toilet and showers and making the facilities accessible to disabled members and guests. The size of the kitchen will also be expanded and some of the equipment replaced to cater for post-match and social event food preparation.
Langley Manor Cricket Club was founded in 1897 and today has a membership of 60 senior and 100 junior members including men, ladies, boys and girls. Due to the growth of the Club and in particular the ladies team, a fundraising effort has been put in place to facilitate the upgrade and expansion of the pavilion facilities, including the new dedicated ladies changing room and shower facility.
Chris Rogers, Project Co-Ordinator at Langley Manor Cricket Club, said: “We have steadily grown over the last 20 years and we are proud to have been the first Club within the New Forest to have entered an all-girls team in league cricket this year, and they competed well against the boys.
“As a result of our growth we need to expand our facilities and the project is estimated to cost over £200k, so we are currently seeking grant funding from local and national bodies, which is where the kind donation from the Barker-Mill Foundation is included. We hope to have raised sufficient funds to be able to start the work in 2018.”
Langley Manor Cricket Club has had a long relationship with BMF. The first cricket matches were played in a field off Jacobs Gutter Lane, close to Hounsdown School, before moving to land owned by Barker-Mill Estates behind Colbury Hall in 1900. The teams included members of the Barker-Mill family and workers from “The Big House” at the top of Colbury Hill.
The Club continued to play cricket there until 1991, when the land was acquired as part of the construction of the Totton Western By-Pass. It then moved to its current home in Knellers Lane, Colbury, which is leased from the Barker-Mill Estate.
Tim Jobling, BMF Trustee, said: “Given the relationship and history that we have with Langley Manor Cricket Club, it was only right that we donated some funds towards the building works required. It’s really encouraging to hear that the Club is doing so well and attracting and retaining players of all ages and genders.”
For further information about Langley Manor Cricket Club visit: www.langleymanorcc.com