Cricket club in Calderdale launches £100,000 fundraising campaign for new pavilion

The scheme is the next step in the club’s fundraising campaign to have a modern, accessible, pavilion in place for next spring.

The club’s existing wooden pavilion, which has stood at the ground for 100 years, is beyond repair and no longer fit for purpose.

Work on the new structure began in early September and the club is aiming to complete its fundraising target to ensure the new build is open for the start of the new season in April 2023.

Club officials are now encouraging community groups, residents and businesses to donate to the fundraising campaign and ensure the pavilion is open for next season.

The plans will ensure players, spectators and local groups benefit from fantastic new facilities including changing rooms, balcony views, a community room and much more.

It is the latest chapter in the club’s development on and off the field. Lightcliffe Cricket Club has five senior teams – four men’s and one women’s – as well as 13 junior sides helping to lay the foundations for future success.

Club chairman Bob Horne said: “We are proud of our past and excited about our future. The existing pavilion has served us well for the last 100 years.

"The cricket club has always been at the heart of the local community and this project is about securing the club’s future on and off the field for the next century, laying the foundations for future success on and off the field.

“To help write our next chapter we have launched a campaign to help meet our fundraising targets and help ensure that when the first ball of the season is delivered, players are changing in new dressing rooms and spectators are watching the action from a panoramic new viewing area.

"We have done a lot, but there is a lot still to do. It’s a really exciting time for the club and I hope the community will support this project over the coming weeks and months. A huge thanks from me as club chairman to everyone who has already kindly made a donation. It is really appreciated.”

Richard Leach, who is chair of the fundraising committee at the club, said: “This is the next chapter in our fundraising drive so all donations big and small would be gratefully appreciated.

Everyone in the community and wider area resonates and loves Lightcliffe Cricket Club. It is the focal point of the village. We are proud of our pavilion project.

"There has already been some very kind donations but we need more to get us over the line and ensure our new build is at the heart of the club for the next 100 years, just as our existing pavilion has served us so well since 1922.”

If you would like to make a donation to the Lightcliffe Cricket Club pavilion project, you can do so by visiting https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/lccpavilion23.