Youth Opportunities Fund

Young people with exciting ideas could turn their dreams into a reality thanks to the Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF). The Essex County Council-backed fund has been set up to let young people choose the projects they want money invested in and bids will be assessed by a group of their peers from the area.

The Youth Opportunities Fund can accept bids of up to £10,000.00 and projects should be aimed at things young people would like to do, such as outdoor experiences, music, art and drama.

The Youth Capital Fund deals with bids for up to £20,000.00 and can help young people purchase equipment, develop buildings, refurbish facilities or provide new space within and existing community building. Young people can bid for funding from both sources.

For Brentwood-based projects contact The Hermitage, 15 Shenfield Road, Brentwood, Essex CM15 8AG or call 01277 249300

The Brentwood Cricket Club: Youth Capital Fund (YCF)

Brentwood Cricket Club have sent in a formal application and bid to the Youth Capital Fund Project Scheme

The aim of our project is to renovate the cricket club's two lane bowling strip plus the purchase of two new nets and galvanised steel cages.

Our objective is to secure funding for this project so that we can offer our ever expanding Local Community Colts cricket section first class training facilities at the Old County Ground, Shenfield Road, Brentwood, Essex, (home ground of Brentwood Cricket Club).

If possible the project needs to be completed no later than April 2007.

Once the club has secured sufficient funds for this project by means of either a grant, donation or club fund raising, it would be our intention to negotiate the cost of the renovation work and equipment through a reputable landscape contractor and cricket equipment supplier, place an order, including construction, installation, delivery and VAT.

With some 140 Local Community Colts Club Members it is imperative that we can offer the community a high standard of cricket coaching, using the best facilities and equipment available, but within a safe working environment.

This project is designed to enhance our facilities as a Community Premier League Cricket Club focusing on Local Community Youth Cricketers regardless of gender, race or ability and to help many of them achieve their ambitions of playing school, club and in some cases County cricket. Also our facilities are made available to local schools.

Finally, on completion of the project it would be the club's intention to report back to the fund provider/s informing them that the project was complete and to offer them the opportunity to visit the club (preferably on a Colts training night) to inspect the equipment in use.

YOF application update from Peter Lowman.

Background

Since December 2006 the Executive Committees of Brentwood Cricket Club have had a vision to renovate the existing bowling strips and cricket nets at the clubs home ground (The Old County Ground).

This original project was submitted to the Youth Capital Fund under the project name of 'The improvement of cricket facilities at Brentwood Cricket Club' and The Brentwood Colts Youth Project Representatives Group presented our case to the YCF on the 22nd January 2007.

On the 27th February 2007 our 'Project Team' attended the YCF presentation evening at 'The Hermitage' where they received a cheque towards the cost of the 'nets project'. Subsequently the club has received further funds from The Jack Petchey Foundation to make up the short-fall amount that was required to proceed with improving the conditions of the existing nets and site.

On the 27th April 2007 we opened the new cricket season by holding our annual colts registration night and were amazed by the amount of new young colts players that turned up to register. Obviously throughout the winter and early spring we had received a huge amount of publicity through the local press regarding the generous awards that we received from both the YCF and Petchey organisations to help us improve facilities at the club.

Brentwood Cricket Club - New Season 2007

After registering some 180 colts between the ages of 5 to 16 the Brentwood Colts Executive Committee, Chaired by Dave Barbone recommended to the main Brentwood Cricket Club Executive board that they should consider enhancing the original 'nets project' to allow for the current two lane net cage training site to be extended to three lanes and a raise further funding to purchase a security cage to protect the site from possible vandalism and unauthorised use.

This new enhanced project would be of huge benefit to the increased size of the clubs colt membership over the coming years.

After some investigation work Mr Barbone spoke to the Gidea Park and Romford Cricket Club who have actually installed a three lane artificial nets surface and security cage training facility at their ground.

With this in mind, Brentwood Cricket Club decided to try and raise further funds to construct a similar facility at the 'Old County Ground'. The proposal is to break our project down into three stages:-

Stage 1: The initial fund raising received from the renovation of the current nets site has virtually been secured and hopefully the construction work will be carried out this summer.

Stage 2: Will be to begin raising funds for the extension of the nets site by 50% from two lanes to three lanes including new galvanised stanchions and nets.

Stage 3: Will be to secured further funds to encage the whole new complex with a security cage.

Conclusion

Clearly this new 'Brentwood Cricket Club Superior Nets Project' will be of huge benefit to the young local community cricketers who have joined our club and regularly train on Friday evenings to prepare for week-end competitive club matches. Also we are confident that under the guidance of our very qualified club coaches they will become better players. In fact we already have one young under 16's player who is in the Essex County Cricket Academy side.

With all of this in mind, the club applied for further funding under the 'Youth Capital Fund Scheme' of £10,000.00 and the Children's Fund Essex Scheme of £4,000.00 to assist us in stage 2 and possibly stage 3 of our 'dream project' mentioned above.

The overall cost of this project may well be in the region of £40,000.00 to £50,000.00 dependent on the quality of the equipment, renovation and construction costs. The Clubs aim is to stagger the cost by implementing a three stage investment programme which will allow the club to raise funds over a period of time.

We have completed the necessary application forms and supplied some additional documentation that hopefully will assist the YOF committee in reviewing our revised project.

Whilst knowing that a representative from The Hermitage (Max Peluso YOF committee member) has recently visited the 'Old County Ground' and has a fairly clear understanding of our new overall project we are quietly optimistic about receiving further funding .

The Brentwood Colts Youth Project Representative Group

The club has received an official confirmation that our second 'Project Bid' has been successful and that the Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF) / Youth Capital Fund (YCF) Selection Committee has awarded 'The Brentwood Colts Cricket Club Youth Project Team' a further £10,000.00 towards the clubs "superior nets project". In total the YCF have now given the club £18,000.00 towards this project.

The members of 'The Brentwood Colts Cricket Club Youth Project Team' were Tim Barbone, Matt Lowman, Sam Rounce, Chris Stockwell, James Welham and Aaron West.

The aim of the bid was to secure more funding towards the overall cost of the clubs "superior nets project".

Once again the 'The Brentwood Colts Cricket Club Youth Project Team' were successful with their presentation package and formal presentation to the YOF / YCF Selection Committee which was held at the Hermitage, 15 Shenfield Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 8AG.

On hearing the wonderful news Ken Lingwood (Chairman of Brentwood CC) Malcolm Webb (President) and Dave Barbone (Colts Chairman) formally congratulated the successful Colts Project Team.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

The Honorary Colts club Treasurer Jon Coote was sent a cheque for £10,000.00 which was credited to the clubs official Finance & Development Fund and along with other grant funding we are well on the way to raising our target amount needed to turn the clubs dream of having a superior nets complex into a reality.

Hopefully the nets complex will be completed for the beginning of the 2008 cricket season.

June 2007