The Final Countdown...

It's taken me a while to get around to this latest post, with the project in the final countdown, work commitments picking up and pitch preparation in full swing; I'm somewhat bereft of time! The pace has somewhat picked up on the project, with final fix activities nearing completion and the building beginning to take shape. So what's happened since my last update...

If anyone out there is looking to carry out a similar development, get the decorators in. I'm not one with a passion for decorating and the pavilion project has reinforced this and then some! Personally I racked up in excess of 50 hours, but we couldn't have done as well without the help of our volunteers from the club and the Natwest Bank in Yarm. During this years Natwest Cricket Force we got many of the painting tasks completed, along with the usual jobs of erecting the nets and working on the ground. We'd like to thank everyone who offered their support over the weekend, it was a great success and we owe all of that to you. Yarm Cricket Club gained a little slice of publicity in the Evening Gazette last Wednesday, unfortunately the article isn't available online, but I'll see if I can get it scanned for next weeks update.

Kirk Developments continue to excel, with work continuing at pace and no dip in standards of finish. Here's a quick run through of events...

Here's Dave from Redcar & Cleveland College installing the kitchen we purchased from Howdens Joinery, he's been ably assisted by club stalwart Pete and they did a great job. Dave has also helped us with all the benches for the changing rooms, these are to be installed at some point this week.

This is the huge hot water cylinder and boiler, which will run the heating and hot water. The final fix is virtually complete, with only final tests and connections to be made. Ashton Plumbing Heating and Gas have done an excellent job throughout and it's hoped the system will be tested and live sometime Wednesday.

The tea room is still full of clutter, but you should be able to make out the radiator, but also the new lighting, emergency lighting and smoke alarm. Electrix North East have done an admirable job of rewiring a somewhat under supplied building. We looked into acquiring a new electrical supply, but at a cost of £10k this was deemed unfeasible and we opted to lean more towards the cheaper gas connection at £4k.

Changing rooms are virtually complete. Just a little painting left, fixtures and flooring. You can just see the new toilet cubicle to the right.

Showers in the home dressing room.

Rear elevation, incorporating new security lighting, meter box and external power point.

Fascias and cladding nearing completion, gutters were installed today and porch beam boxed in.

Latest view of the building.

So much will happen this week and all will be covered in next weeks post. Final activities include; gas meter installation, floor coverings, external drainage, guttering, rendering, shutters, benches and erecting the pavilion clock.

If you would like to help by donating to the project, we have extended the deadline to 26th April for donations via our Just Giving site and we're grateful to everyone who has donated so far. If you, a family member or a business would like to help and in turn have your name added to our honours board; then simply donate in excess of £50, leave a comment and we'll do the rest. As a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) we can also collect Gift Aid on most donations, this equates to an extra 25% on top of the original donation. The final honours board will be erected in the pavilion and unveiled at this years Family Fun Day on the 13th July.

To donate just follow this link: http://www.justgiving.com/yarmcricketclub (don't forget to leave a comment)

I'll be back next week with possibly my final update, incorporating a guided tour of our new facility, brief run through of the weeks events and a big thank you to everyone who has supported our Inspired Pavilion Project.

Give Me Just A Little More Time...

A little late with the update this week, very busy on and off site at the moment and often wish someone could give me just a little more time. The wet and the cold are finally beginning to take their toll on us all, but we must press on and have the pavilion ready for the 13th April. We're currently looking into the various flooring options and trying to bring them in on budget, but at this stage it looks as though we may need to spend a little more than we initially expected. This will place further pressure on the budget, but we're confident we can make savings in other areas to offset the increase and still fulfil the design provided by Wighton Architects.

 

We have a few very busy weeks ahead now with final fix activities taking place, decorating, kitchen installation, internal furnishings, floor coverings, drainage and the roof to complete. If the weather allows, the groundstaff will need to put a serious amount of time into getting the ground ready for the season and we're seriously up against it. On a positive note though, we've just received a grant of £1,000 from Stockton-on-Tees Council and we can now look to order our new batting cage.

 

On the 6th and 7th April we will be taking part in Natwest Cricket Force, an initiative which encourages volunteers to get involved with their local cricket clubs and help get them ready for the season ahead. This years Cricket Force activities include decorating, erecting nets and sightscreens, ground maintenance, hard landscaping and cleaning. The Natwest bank in Yarm will kindly be sending along some of their staff to help and we'd like as many of our members, families and community there as possible. We'd really appreciate some help with catering on the day, so if any businesses out there fancy donating some bacon sandwiches or cakes please get in touch with us at admin@yarmcricketclub.co.uk

 

All volunteers will receive an official Natwest Cricket Force t-shirt and participating businesses will be included in all press releases and social media marketing.

 

Let's move swiftly on to what happened last week, first job for Kirk Developments was to get the tea room windows installed.

 

 

 

The building is now completely drylined and plastered. Below is an image of the new home dressing room.

 

Work on the roof continued, giving us the first glimpse of how the final building is going to look.

This weeks tasks include: Completing the roof, final fix electrics, skirting boards and decorating.

If you would like to help by donating to the project, you have until the 12th April to donate via our Just Giving site and we're grateful to everyone who has donated so far. If you, a family member or a business would like to help and in turn have your name added to our honours board; then simply donate in excess of £50, leave a comment and we'll do the rest. As a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) we can also collect Gift Aid on most donations, this equates to an extra 25% on top of the original donation. The final honours board will be erected in the pavilion and unveiled at this years Family Fun Day on the 13th July.

To donate just follow this link: http://www.justgiving.com/yarmcricketclub (don't forget to leave a comment)

Only 3 weeks to go now and still so much to do. Join me next week for a further update from the Yarm Cricket Club Inspired Pavilion Project, hopefully it will warm up a bit and I'll have plenty to talk about.

Bring Me Sunshine...

The constant inclement weather has finally started to make an impact on the Yarm Cricket Club Pavilion Project schedule. We all know the problems suffered last year by cricket clubs around the country and so far 2013 isn't looking much better. Completing the pavilion roof is proving difficult; with sleet and snow for the last five days, but work has continued indoors and all first fix activities have been completed. With the roof and drainage having to take a back seat, work to the interior is coming together at pace and plastering is set to commence this week.

With just under a month until the season starts, the weather is also impacting on my role as Groundsman. The ground has had standing water in certain areas since last April and although the squares drain quite well work has proved an impossible task. By now we should have at least drag brushed, trimmed and started rolling. I can't see us getting out there for at least another week, which will be cutting things very tight and areas we were looking to repair may have to be put on hold. So top of this years wish list will have to be, new covers, a water hog and bring me sunshine!

Last week Kirk Developments continued work on the interior of the building, the final few bricks were added and the new door frames were fitted in the extension.

New windows were fitted throughout, the picture below shows the tinted windows to the front of the away dressing room.

Dry lining was completed throughout the building and all areas are now ready to be plastered.

Hopefully by next weekend the building will be plastered and the roof will be well on its way to been complete. Progress on the roof will be determined by the weather! I'm still trying to come up with the best floor coverings for the building, at this stage I'm thinking carpet tiles throughout and vinyl flooring for the kitchen, toilet and shower areas. I've spent many years visiting other clubs and it's not making the decision any easier, some have no floor coverings, some have carpets and others have spike proof vinyl. The budget is very tight for finishes, so to carpet or not to carpet? This is another dilemma I have for the week ahead.

Our Just Giving site is still available for donations and we're grateful to everyone who has donated so far. If you, a family member or a business would like to help and in turn have your name added to our honours board; then simply donate in excess of £50, leave a comment and we'll do the rest. As a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) we can also collect Gift Aid on most donations, this equates to an extra 25% on top of the original donation. The final honours board will be erected in the pavilion and unveiled at this years Family Fun Day on the 13th July.

To donate just follow this link: http://www.justgiving.com/yarmcricketclub (don't forget to leave a comment)

Back next week with a further update, fingers crossed we get better weather.

Lifeline...

The Sport England Places People Play scheme has provided many clubs and sports groups, the opportunity to improve facilities and in turn improve levels of participation. Round 4 of the funding has opened recently, so if your club could benefit from modernised facilities or improving playing surfaces then it's time to work on those applications. When preparing your applications, be sure to gauge community support via a questionnaire and attain letters of support from leagues, local MP's, sport development groups,etc. Don't just focus on the benefits the funding will have; what may happen if you don't recieve funding? At Yarm our facilities were unsuitable for the modern game, not up to the standard expected by players and well below what was required by the ECB North Yorkshire & South Durham League we participate in. The pavilion facilities were rated the lowest of all participating clubs by league officials and may have affected our league status.

Thanks to the funding we received from Sport England, plus contributions from our members, Yarm Recreation Ground Trust, Yarm Town Council, Carter Steel and Judges Hotel, we can now look towards a much brighter future. We have many new targets to achieve in our 5 Year Plan, set out as part of our Club Development Plan established during the ECB Clubmark process. These range from improving participation, establishing more teams, improving practice facilities and work to the playing surface. Four items we are currently lacking are: sufficient practice facilities, training aids, pitch covers and water hog. We have just received notification of Small Sports Grant funding from Stockton-on-Tees Council, which will go towards a much needed new batting cage. This new batting cage will allow us to sufficiently increase our practice facilities and cater for larger group training sessions. Due to the increasing number of Under 9's attending coaching we are seriously short of training aids, such as cones, batting tees, Kwik Cricket equipment, etc. An application will be forwarded to the Lord's Taverners, they give great support to grassroots cricket by providing equipment and artificial playing surfaces to clubs who are lacking in this department. We are also fundraising and looking for sponsors to help us purchase some training equipment from the ECB Cricket Factory range. Businesses interested in sponsoring us for the coming season can get in touch at admin@yarmcricketclub.co.uk

Last week on the Inspired Pavilion Project was very busy. Kirk Developments first job was to get the building watertight and finish off the the roof felt and battens. The roof is now ready for the tiles to be added and these along with the uPVC fascias were delivered to site last week.

The gable end of the new extension was completed.

Both changing rooms had the shower trays and partition walls installed.

The old rear windows were removed and openings created to access the kitchen, disabled wc and umpires changing room.

First fix plumbing and electrics were completed and shown below is the new disabled toilet.

Plasterboarding completed throughout the new extension and shown below is the new kitchen.

Jobs for this week: Roof tiles, plastering and possibly some final fix electrics.

Our Just Giving site is still available for donations and we're grateful to everyone who has donated so far. If you, a family member or a business would like to help and in turn have your name added to our honours board; then simply donate in excess of £50, leave a comment and we'll do the rest. As a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) we can also collect Gift Aid on most donations, this equates to an extra 25% on top of the original donation. The final honours board will be erected in the pavilion and unveiled at this years Family Fun Day on the 13th July.

To donate just follow this link: http://www.justgiving.com/yarmcricketclub (don't forget to leave a comment)

Thanks to everyone who helped create this Lifeline for the club, without the support of many we would never have got this far and we can now plan for the bright future ahead.

Little By Little...

With Natwest Cricket Force getting ever so closer, we are working hard to get as many businesses, groups and members of the local community involved. Redcar & Cleveland College are to produce the benches for the changing areas and assist with the kitchen installation. We have another group from our local area that will be laying paving around the building and also assisting us with a number of ground maintenance tasks. Painting and decorating and flooring will be done as over the Natwest Cricket Force weekend on the 6th and 7th April. Once we have everything in place we will issue press releases to the local media endorsing all those parties involved. We're still waiting to see whether our project will attain showcase status with the Yorkshire Cricket Board and ECB, hopefully we'll hear something regarding this shortly.

If your company or group would be interested in getting involved, please get in touch with us at admin@yarmcricketclub.co.uk If you can wield a paintbrush, lay carpet tiles, provide paint, materials or catering then come along and you can play your part in the Yarm Cricket Club Inspired Pavilion Development. It's hoped we can also incorporate junior cricket coaching (ages 7 to 13) on the 6th, this will be dependant on the weather and new members are more than welcome to join in.

The project build is coming together well, Kirk Developments made great progress last week getting the roof felted and latted ready for tiling this coming week. The pavilion is almost water tight and the new windows have been delivered ready for installation. The changing room windows are to be installed with tinted privacy glass, the shower areas and umpires changing room are to have textured privacy glass similar to that installed in domestic bathrooms.

The picture below shows the roof to the rear of the pavilion, felted and latted ready for the tiles to be positioned.

Work commenced on the new dormer to the front of the building, the front elevation is to be finished with cedar cladding and the pavilion clock from Good Directions Ltd will provide the final touch.

Ashton Plumbing  Heating & Gas continued with the first fix plumbing, running the pipes for the hot water and heating systems.

 

 

And Electrix North East continued with the first fix electrics, running the cables and mounting the socket boxes. Cables were also installed for the tv aerial, although at this stage a television is outside our budget. It's hoped a suitable television will be installed once we have raised the required funds.

 

 

The old tiles from the roof have been used as hardcore for the access track, it's hoped the track will be topped off with road planings provided by Stockton Council and the Highways Department. We are also looking to utilise the old doors and floor joists to create composting areas around the ground. This not only reduces the amount of waste going to landfill, but it cuts down on skip hire, purchasing of additional hardcore and also provides the Club with adequate facilities to compost grass cuttings and waste generated during ground maintenance tasks.

Tasks for this week include: Completing the roof, finishing off brickwork at the rear, installing the shower trays, erecting partition walls in the changing areas and further first fix installation.

Our Just Giving site is still available for donations and we're grateful to everyone who has donated so far. If you, a family member or a business would like to help and in turn have your name added to our honours board; then simply donate in excess of £50, leave a comment and we'll do the rest. As a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) we can also collect Gift Aid on most donations, this equates to an extra 25% on top of the original donation.

To donate just follow this link: http://www.justgiving.com/yarmcricketclub (don't forget to leave a comment)

Little by Little we're getting there and I hope everyone continues to offer their support where they can. Thanks for reading and we'll be back next week with a further update.

Picture This...

We're now heading in to Week 11 of the Inspired Pavilion Project and work is gathering pace on all fronts. Details of last weeks progress will follow later in this post, but for now I'd like to concentrate on the efforts that will be required to increase throughput, both in line with our Sport England estimates and to be sure the finished pavilion is sustainable.

All cricket club management should have an idea of how much it actually costs to play. For example; league fees, groundsman costs, machine servicing, service connections, insurance, etc. Once you have this figure you can set your annual membership and match fees to the required level based on the previous seasons numbers. The cost to play and throughput are directly related to cost of membership, so if throughput rises and your cost to play remains the same, then fees can be reduced or frozen. For larger clubs this calculation will have added complexities such as professional fees, full time groundstaff, bar profits, etc, but most larger clubs will have other revenue streams in place to cover these areas.

At Yarm Cricket Club we hope to increase throughput in a number of ways over the next few years. The first way is to increase levels membership; so we hope to further increase our number of junior teams and have recently introduced a senior Friendly XI. Many Clubs suffer from juniors losing interest after a few years, so in the future it would be a positive step to introduce 2nd teams at junior level beginning with the Under 11's. This would give the club sufficient numbers to feed future 13's, 15's and 17's teams.

Another good way to increase throughput is to arrange coaching events, these can be run by external coaching groups such as Pro Coach and also by your own coaching staff. We currently have 7 ECB qualified coaches at the Club, who look after the junior teams and we will be looking to add to this number in coming years. The coaching staff play a major role in providing for the future, without their commitment and dedication most club's would cease to exist. Our coaches do a sterling job and we cannot thnak them enough for their continued efforts.

Diversification; what other areas can we look to explore? There's the potential to start a womens and girls section, increase the number of corporate events, allow community groups to use the facilities (WI, Bridge Clubs, etc) and what other sports can we offer (rounders, ultimate frisbee, archery, stool ball, boules, etc)?

There's many more ways to improve throughput and all avenues should be investigated thoroughly. All Clubs are different and it's all about finding the right mix for your specific club.

On with the project update; the work continued on a number of fronts last week and great progress was made by our excellent contractors Kirk Developments. There's a lot to get through, but I'll keep it as short as I can. First job of the week was to get the away dressing room floor poured and this was completed on Monday.

The writing below was uncovered when the timber encasing the steel RSJ was removed, it's not easy to make out but it says Yarm Doughty. We just need to find out which Doughty it was, but we think the steel was possibly a later addition and was ordered by former 1st XI Captain Dave Doughty.

Below are the two new steel box sections in place, these replace the two rotting timber posts there previously.

 

The plumber started on site last week, commencing with the first fix and running a number of pipes for the heating system.

 

All internal studwork was completed in the new extension and plasterboarding will take place once the roof is watertight.

Work to the extension roof continued and it was due to be felted over the weekend.

A couple of other notable developments are, the pavilion clock has arrived from Good Directions Ltd and the t-shirts have turned up for Natwest Cricket Force.

So that's it for last weeks progress. This week work will continue on the roof and with first fix plumbing and electrics.

Our Just Giving site is still available for donations and we're grateful to everyone who has donated so far. If you, a family member or a business would like to help and in turn have your name added to our honours board; then simply donate in excess of £50, leave a comment and we'll do the rest. As a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) we can also collect Gift Aid on most donations, this equates to an extra 25% on top of the original donation.

To donate just follow this link: http://www.justgiving.com/yarmcricketclub

Thanks again for taking time out to read the blog, back next week with more progress and an update on how community involvement in the project is growing.

Up On The Roof...

This week away from site we've been concentrating on final fundraising activities, researching various funding opportunities, lining up volunteers and reminding everyone how important this scheme is to the Club. To date we have raised an additional £1k thanks to donations, leaving us just over £2k left to find. Again we'd like to thank all who have donated so far, your support will go a long way to ensure the final building will have everything we require now and for the future. We've had donations so far from players, ex-players, neighbours and parents. If you or your business would like to make a donation details are provided later in this post.

We have been notified by Sport England that our latest application for payment has been approved, this will mean we can pay our contractors well within the contractual 28 days. This leaves two more payments, one for completion (30%) and the other for certified completion (10%). Certified completion can be released once we are in receipt of all certification for service connections, fittings, etc and the building has been signed off by the building inspector.

Finally we've had a reasonable break in the weather at the Yarm Cricket Club Inspired Pavilion Project, allowing Kirk Developments to make good progress in the last week. First job to be completed was rebuilding the corner of the building, externally this is now ready for the render to be applied so it ties in with the existing walls. Later in the week the two changing rooms floors were insulated and lined with DPM and as shown below the floor was poured in the home dressing room.

The last two days of the week were very hectic, with concrete being delivered, scaffolding been erected and the roof trusses for the extension turning up. By close of play last week, all but one of the trusses had been erected in position on their brackets and braced for the weekend. Unfortunately my camera decided to go on the blink this week, so these pictures had to be taken with my phone and the quality isn't quite the same!

 

This week will see the away dressing room floor poured, further progress on the extension roof and the first fix plumbing and electrics being installed. Once the extension roof is water-tight, then the openings to the tea room can be opened up and we'll get a true feel for the final space.

 

To make donating easier for everyone we have set up a Just Giving page, where supporters can forward donations online and provide details for the Club to receive Gift Aid. To have your name, business, or relatives added to the new pavilion honours board, donate in excess of £50 to the project and we'll do the rest. The honours board will be unveiled at our Family Fun Day on the 13th July and to date we have 22 individuals represented along with the main project sponsors. To donate just follow this link: http://www.justgiving.com/yarmcricketclub/ You can also cut and paste this link into emails and forward to friends and family.



Back next week with updates on the build, funding and what we have planned for the future of Yarm Cricket Club's Inspired Pavilion.

A Design For Life...

After several weeks we can finally see the new layout of the pavilion materialising through the dust and dirt. With the assistance of Stuart Wighton Architects the design of the pavilion provides not only for what is required now, but also offers us the possibilities for future development within the existing footprint. The design integrates insulation of the highest standard, new double glazed units throughout and offers us an extremely fit for purpose sustainable facility. The spacious loft will eventually be boarded out for storage, but in the future this large space could be utilised for any number of uses.

Just a couple of weeks ago Sport England announced the clubs and associations which will benefit from the latest round of Inspired Facilities funding. Again cricket clubs in our region were given much needed support, one of which is Rockliffe Park CC who like us are looking to modernise their pavilion facilities. We'd like to wish everyone who has been successful with their bids all the best for your projects, to everyone else out there with an Inspired Project in mind, Round 4 opens on the 4th March.

The work on the project is beginning to pick up pace now, the Kirk Developments team have had all sorts of weather to contend with over the past few weeks and to keep progress ticking over has thrown up a few challenges, frozen water pipes, to cold for concrete, sodden ground conditions underfoot, etc. As you can see in the picture below the extension is now at wall plate level, this milestone releases our second payment for the main works and we have 28 days to provide payment. Our second Sport England Claim Form has been signed off and will be in the post tomorrow morning.

Over the years we had always noted a problem with the rear corner of the building and it was highlighted in the Structural Report we had carried out last year (Cheers Les). This document was provided pre-contract and Kirk Developments were aware of the problem. This week the wall in question was removed and it would seem the roof may have been forcing it outwards. The levels were all checked and the foundation was fine. Here's a couple of pictures to show the work:

A few other notable items from the week: We've taken delivery of the fridge freezer for the kitchen, the pavilion clock has been ordered from Good Directions Ltd and we have a date of 3rd April for Northern Gas Networks to install the gas main. This date will be cutting it very fine and we hope to improve upon this somehow. Next job is to line up a provider to fit the meter, so we'll be getting on with that this week amongst other things.

Donations are slowly coming in via our Just Giving site and membership forms. To date we've raised around £1k through recent donations, this has enabled us to add the pavilion clock and purchase the fridge freezer. We still require in the region of £3k to complete fencing, equipment storage and furnishings. To all those individuals and businesses who donate in excess of £50, add a comment as you donate and your names will be added to the Pavilion Honours Board to be unveiled at this years Family Fun Day on July 13th. I'm still looking to see a few more YCC legends up there, come on lads don't be shy just click here.

On site this week: The garage opening and rear wall to be completed, changing room floors to be insulated and concrete poured, further electrical installation and delivery of the roof trusses.

Many thanks to everyone who is helping us along the way and those who've been so generous to date. Tune in next week for further updates, news and photos from the Yarm Cricket Club #Inspired Pavilion Project.

All Together Now...

Finally we've had some fine weather this week on the Inspired Pavilion Project, allowing Kirk Developments to make progress on the extension and concentrate on external works. Significant progress has been made in our efforts to receive some assitance from volunteer groups, business groups and colleges. Various important items have also been ordered and we've received our first few Just Giving donations.

The pictures below show how work on the extension has progressed this week. The floor area was first lined with a damp proof membrane (DPM), insulation boards were then laid on top and the concrete was then poured on Tuesday. Brickwork commenced on Wednesday, followed by the blockwork and cavity insulation.

On Friday, installation of the first fix electrics started. Sockets started to go in around the building, with cables also being run for lighting both internal and external. We've decided to install lights in the porch, these will operate on a motion sensor along with the security lights to be installed on each gable end. There's still a lot of work ahead for the electricians, but we have every confidence in Electrix North East who have been subcontracted to undertake the work.

 

During this week we have also ordered the fridge freezer for the new kitchen, settled on a pavilion clock and confirmed the kitchen design with Howdens. We managed to make a saving on the fridge freezer by picking one up in the sales and once the extension is complete the kitchen can be fitted. We have opted for a white kitchen, which we hope will be easy to keep clean and make the most of the natural light. At this stage we don't have the budget for the wall cupboards, but it's hoped we can install these at a later date once additional funds have been raised.

 

With Natwest Cricket Force fast approaching, we're making every effort to involve the community, local businesses and any other volunteer groups. We've had two positive responses this week, one of which has come from Redcar & Cleveland College. The College run a number of courses, but we hope to utilise their skills in joinery and decorating. The staff and students will assist us by installing benches in the changing areas, creating outdoor seating and offering assistance with the kitchen. We have had another group confirm their involvement and further details will be provided on this once we've received their go ahead. We're still waiting to hear from our local Natwest branches, but it's hoped some progress with them will be seen this week.

 

Many thanks to those readers who have made a donation to our Development Fund in recent weeks. To date we have 15 individual names to be added to the new honours board, but we need many more to reach our final pavilion budget. All donations are greatly received; if you or your business would like to help then, simply make a donation via our Just Giving site in excess of £50 and your name will be added to the pavilions honours board. If any businesses would be interested in sponsoring the club in any way, then please get in touch with us at sponsorship@yarmcricketclub.co.uk Sponsorship packages range from £50 upwards, these include vinyl banners, sponsor boards, shirt deals, club brochure advertising and much more. All sponsors receive complimentary website and social media coverage.

Gimme Shelter...

Cold and crisp again on the #Inspired Pavilion Project last week, so Kirk Developments concentrated on further work to the inside of the building. Unfortunately again the weather put paid to the concrete being poured for the new extension floor slab, but with weather warming up it's hoped this will be completed this week.

The first task of the week was to brick up the old kitchen door and serving hatch. This was probably more down to the weather than anything, the welfare area (tea room) was struggling to stay warm and the heaters were at full capacity.

Efforts then moved on to the away dressing room, where the walls and ceilings were all boarded ready for plastering. Once the floor slab has been cast, block wall erected and first fix electrics done the walls can be plastered.

Once the away dressing room was boarded, the same task was carried out in the home dressing room and also the new loft hatch was installed.

The final action of the week was concentrated in the loft, where all of the floorboards needed removing to allow the electric cabling to be run. The added benefit of this action was that we had plenty of firewood for the bonfire keeping us all warm. Once the cables are run the loft will be ready for its insulation, although this will probably take place once the roof has been constructed.

Jobs for this week: Finish stoning up dressing rooms, lay DPM and insulation boards, pour concrete floor slabs, start extension walls and complete boarding of home dressing room. Details of these actions will be provided in next weeks blog, along with details of some positive volunteer news, an update on fundraising and details of the kitchen design and pavilion clock.

Finally our Just Giving site has gone live so we can now receive online donations and receive Gift Aid. Any donation large or small would be greatly appreciated and for all donations in excess of £50 you, a family member, or your business will be added to our Pavilion Honours Board. You can email names to donations@yarmcricketclub.co.uk for the honours board or leave a comment when you donate. The honours board is to be unveiled at this years Family Fun Day (13th July) and will remain in place to remind everyone who made this development possible. It's hoped the project will be supported by members new and old, parents, the local community and businesses. To offer your support and make a donation follow this link http://www.justgiving.com/yarmcricketclub and click on the donate button. The site is a work in progress, as I familiarise myself with the tools and options available.

Fingers crossed for concrete pouring weather...

Oh the Weather Outside...

...was frightful, but by the fire was so delightful, we've had enough of all this snow, please go, please go, please go! That's pretty much the story of our week on the Yarm Cricket Club Inspired Pavilion Project; snow, bonfires and working indoors.

 

 

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, the project benefits from having a number of work fronts and when the weather is bad there's always something that can be achieved. Before the worst of the snow Kirk Developments managed to get the extension floor and surrounding area stoned up ready for the floor slab to be poured.

From Monday night onwards the weather turned much worse, so we all moved indoors and concentrated on the new away dressing room. The wall between the old changing room and kitchen was removed and the steel beam erected. All the floors were removed and most of the stoning up completed. The ceilings were boarded and works to the damp proofing carried out.

Unfortunately we had the concrete planned for Thursday, but due to the extreme weather conditions we had to call it off. Once the temperature improves Kirk Developments will look to get this completed as soon as possible, then work can begin on the extension walls and bricking up various openings no longer required.

It's looking as though we will be ordering our new kitchen from Howdens Joinery Co, they provided us with a full design and layout, and a reasonable price. The quality of units is much better than those we could afford from Wickes or B&Q and quality of service to date has been excellent. The only bad news of the week was the gas quote going up by an extra £200, hopefully the final works will cost less and we can get a rebate.

We're still waiting on Just Giving to get their act together and set up our site. Those completing membership forms can donate using that form or wait until the Just Giving site is online. If the Just Giving site is delayed for much longer, we will look to produce a donation slip which will be available via the website. Completed forms can then be retutrned along with donations, allowing the Club to claim Gift Aid on the majority. We will aim to have something in place by next Sunday.

A number of people have donated to the project, with an additional £600 already received and this is a great start. To complete the project we still have just over £3k to raise, with your help and a few new sponsors I'm sure we'll get there.

Many thanks for all the support to date and feel free to forward details of the blog on to friends, family and business connections. Back next week.

Live Long & Prosper...

Well 2012 is now behind us and we at Yarm Cricket Club would like to wish our readers and followers all the best for 2013. Along with many other cricket clubs I'm sure we're just hoping for better weather this year, allowing us all to enjoy more cricket and not having to worry about the covers been on!

2012 has been a really difficult year for many smaller cricket clubs, with loss of fixtures and general lack of interest from members. The weather and loss of fixtures lost Yarm in the region of £1,000. This figure is an approximation of match day revenue, shop profits and subscriptions, which have been lost due to fixture cancellations. This has highlighted the need for clubs to become more prudent, identify new revenue streams, improve those they already have and strive to improve sustainability. Many larger clubs can often offset these losses by benefiting from higher throughput and bar profits.

The modernised pavilion will provide Yarm Cricket Club with a facility which not only fulfils the requirements of the game, but also a facility which can cater for families, spectators and future growth. The pavilion before refurbishment had no hot water, showers, umpires changing or suitable toilet facilities. The addition of these items to the building will mean an increase in running costs, therefore our reliance on revenue will become even more important.

To cover these additional costs we aim to increase participation, playing or volunteering; establish other uses for the building, other sports (rounders, frisbee, etc) or small community groups; improve local business links and levels of sponsorship. When our finances allow it's hoped we can also apply some elements of renewable technology, solar panels, solar water heating, rainwater harvesting, etc. These are just a few of the areas where we are looking to improve, but at the end of the day it will all come down to the support of our members and the community around us.

If you're interested in junior coaching, playing, volunteering, sponsoring or hiring the ground then please get in touch with us at admin@yarmcricketclub.co.uk or visit the website for further details.

So, here's what's been going on this week. Kirk Developments started back on Monday after our festive break and the site was still wet and horrible. First job was to empty the garage of rollers and shelving, then to remove the floor and remove the garage door. Although the picture below doesn't show it, the steel beam is now in place over the new opening, garage door removed and the damp proofing to the front elevation complete. The steel was provided by Carter Steel one of our main sponsors, they've supported the club for many years and it's great to have their product used in the modernisation of the pavilion.

 

Remaining units, fridges, sink, old fire hearth and chimney removed from the kitchen.

 

 



 

 

And finally for this week; the voids around the foundation have been backfilled and the main drainage runs have gone in.

 

 





Tasks for this week include; stoning up around the new extension to improve conditions under foot and provide a suitable surface for scaffolding, removing the wall between the away dressing room and kitchen, remove floors from away dressing room and rectify any damp proofing issues. These actions will leave all areas ready for the concrete floors to be stoned up and poured. The tea room will remain as a timber floor, with air ducts to the rear extended out through the new extension and floor re-boarded throughout.

Disappointingly we're still waiting for our Just Giving site to go live, hopefully it will be sorted in the next week or so and we can start receiving donations. The budget is very tight and at present we're approximately £4k from an all singing all dancing pavilion. The current budget covers all major aspects of the main build (including gas service connection) but does not include for final works, fixtures and fittings such as the pavilion clock, furniture, benches, kitchen wall units, grounds store and access track improvements.

Once the Just Giving site goes live, we will post here, on our website, in our Facebook group, on Twitter and via our mailing list. All support will be greatly appreciated and those persons or businesses who donate in excess of £50 will be added the honours board to be erected in the completed pavilion.

A further update will be provided here next weekend, but for those who cannot wait I'll be tweeting throughout the week @YarmCC.