Support Beaminster Cricket

Aim

Please support Beaminster CC to continue providing fun and welcoming cricketing opportunities for all in the community.

Beaminster Cricket Club has worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure the club remains viable and was ready to welcome back our players as soon as allowed. However, funding streams have changed drastically since the pandemic. Events were our main income generator - we haven't been able to run any for 2 years! We need your help...

Our vision is to provide a fun and welcoming environment for all who would like to play cricket in our rural West Dorset community.

Your Donations will:

• subsidise the rising stars in Beaminster Cricket Academy
• cover operating costs 
• help improve our facilities 

The Club

Beaminster Cricket Club has more than 100 members and welcomes 500+ cricketers each year ranging from 4 to over 70 years old! We are also proud to deliver All Inclusive training sessions as a designated Disability Cricket Champion Club and have a vibrant youth development section - the Beaminster Cricket Academy run by our professionally qualified coaches. 

The senior 1st XI play in Dorset Cricket League Division 2 and the 2nd XI in Division 5. In 2021 we had 55 All Stars (5-8) and Dynamos (8-11) which was 20% oversubscribed as well as Under 10, 14 & 16 youth teams entered in Mid-Wessex Leagues. 

Covid-19 Impacts

Match fees do not even cover 10% of what it costs to run the club each year. Prior to the pandemic we ran a lively year-round events programme (largest revenue source) which included: quiz evenings, cricket activity days, bingo, whist drive, music events, running BBQ and bar at the town festivals. Most of these events still cannot be held. We were well supported with emergency grant funding to stop us folding during the pandemic but this is not a long-term strategy. This Crowdfunder campaign will  help us to regroup and rebuild as we emerge from Covid-19. The club is in a strong position socially, has good numbers, is going to establish a senior 2nd XI and has a passionate committee so any support you can offer will be well received and well used.

Organisation

Beaminster CC has maintained Clubmark accreditation from the England and Wales Cricket Board for many years showing our commitment to providing a safe and welcoming environment and implementing best practices to ensure the club is sustainably managed.  We have match funding from Sport England and as a Community Amateur Sports Club registered with HMRC, we can claim Gift Aid where eligible meaning your pledge of £1 can become £2.25!

Facilities Improvements

We will replace the artificial wicket and refurbish the sight screens

And Geoff's garage (the score hut/ machinery shed) needs some TLC

Testimonials

Ross Baker: 1st XI Player, Chairman & Youth Co-ordinator

"It is an honour to be Chairman of this wonderful club that has a rich history and exciting future with so many excellent young players progressing through the Academy. Beaminster Cricket Club has a reputation for producing talented home-grown players who play the game in the right spirit. From junior through to the senior teams, it is evident that a warm and friendly environment has been created that encourages members of the local community to join us and get involved.  After the difficulties of losing almost an entire season to the Pandemic, the club aims to avoid players becoming disillusioned and potentially drifting away from the club by providing a welcoming environment and up-to-date facilities. Please support the club in any way you can, through a donation or even better, come and get involved!"

Mr Michael Dooley MMs. FRCOG High Sheriff of Dorset, Advisor to the English Cricket Board

"It is a great pleasure to have been asked to support this campaign. Clubs such as Beaminster Cricket Club matter for so many reasons, they play an important role in keeping people active and in improving both their physical and mental wellbeing and they build stronger communities. From the youngest participants through to the oldest volunteers, sport at grassroots level can and should be part of the solution to bringing communities back together, helping to repair the damage this period has brought to our social fabric. Investment in grassroots sport is an investment in the future of the whole community. Through their youth development programme, the Beaminster Cricket Academy helps local young people channel their energies and interests and nurtures their ambition and aspirations, offering a starting point in discovering bright new sporting talent. I very much look forward to following the progress of all the young cricketers coming through the Academy for many years to come. I wish Beaminster Cricket Club the very best with their Crowdfunder campaign."

Mr D. Withers - Deputy Headteacher, Beaminster School

"Grass-roots sport is not only essential for the growth of sport and the development of athletes, but also for growing and maintaining a sense of community. As we emerge from what has been a very difficult time for many people of all ages, it seems the perfect time to invest in the very community resources that offer so many of the things we have all missed during the different phases of the pandemic. [...] Clubs like Beaminster Cricket Club embody all the positive things we associate with teamwork, ambition, competition, co-operation and pride. These important values soak into those who choose to be part of it and this in turn helps to shape individuals - fostering a positive sense of self and also of belonging. [...] As a school we have enjoyed a warm association with the club over many years. It’s Youth Development has played an important part in engaging and motivating the young in a variety of different ways. Supporting and promoting the work of our local clubs is an important part of how we as a school do our bit to help secure the health and well-being of each generation that comes through our gates. It would be fantastic for everyone to actively support Beaminster Cricket Club’s provision and help them grow its newly formed Junior Cricket Academy."

Helen Cudmore: Parent 

"Beaminster Cricket Club is a fantastic community club which provides opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to come together and participate in sport and recreation within a safe and positive environment. As a family, we were warmly welcomed to the Club and with a strong youth focus, high quality coaching and a sense of fun, my children have developed a real passion for cricket and have had the opportunity to play at District level last year and are currently training with the Dorset County Shadow Squad. Now, more than ever, we must support our grassroots clubs and help them thrive."

Phoebe Park: u10s player

"I like playing cricket because its fun, it keeps me active and I can make new friends"

Jo Robins: Chair, Prout Bridge Project 

"Beaminster Cricket Club is committed to opening up access to the sport to young people of all backgrounds in the local area. The team works closely with other organisations like the Prout Bridge Project (PBP) youth and community charity to build relationships and reach children and young people who might not have thought cricket could be 'for them' before. They build confidence and skills, whilst making sure everyone has a lot of fun at the same time. The PBP looks forward to continuing their relationship with the cricket club for many years to come. 

This project successfully funded on 9th February 2022