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.