Daisy Hill Cricket Club is a huge hit after transformation

Daisy Hill Cricket Club has re-opened its doors after being closed for four weeks having undergone a refurbishment – and the club says it has already received an ‘unbelievable’ response from the community.

The club applied for the Suez Communities Fund and Grantspace and was successful with the application, and after further fundraising, the refurbishment could take place.

Steven Chilton, club president of Daisy Hill Cricket Club said the revamp has made a significant difference.

He said: “The club became dilapidated, and when other clubs within the region started getting grant funding we looked into it ourselves.

"We applied to the Suez Communities Fund and Grantspace and we were lucky enough to secure a grant of £50,000.

“We also did some more fundraising in the cricket club ourselves to go towards it because the £50,000 wasn’t enough for the work needed to be done.

“A range of work has been done on the cricket club, it has had a new bar,  a rewire, new upholstery and fixed seating, with new chairs, new bi-fold doors, new flooring, new ceilings throughout – everything basically – there is also a new concrete patio seating area outside for the summer.

After the transformation (Image: Steven Chilton)“The transformation is indescribable compared to its previous self.

“We have had an unbelievable response from the community since we re-opened a couple of weeks ago to the public and our members.

“We had full capacity in the first weekend of re-opening and when summer does arrive I hope there will be a focal point – the biggest beer garden in Daisy Hill.

“I think the transformation will make the cricket club more desirable to the local community for booking functions.

“We admit we had many wrinkles but now it has had its face lift we are just hoping to attract more people.

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“The club was shut for just over four weeks whilst the refurbishment was ongoing and there was just an unbelievable change within four weeks.

“From such an old clubhouse we have brought it up to present day.

“The team did so much work within that small timeframe and with the budget we had.

“We are very lucky to have the members who could help out because it couldn’t have happened without them.”

Steven, who has been a member at the club for 30 years going from a junior cricketer to club president said the club is grateful for the funding.

Before the transformation (Image: Steven Chilton)He said: “Before the transformation we had outsiders saying it is not nice, its old and the carpet was threadbare but being a community club without the funds it is hard.

“We have had recessions and Covid and sometimes you are lucky to keep the lights on and now being fortunate enough to get the grant, it is amazing.

“Hopefully we will now go from strength to strength.”

Daisy Hill Cricket Club offers the community many activities to be involved with including the community garden, which is funded through Bolton at Home, there is a weekly brew club coffee morning with the members growing vegetables, the local beavers and schools attend and plant vegetables too as well as cricket training.

The cricket club is also a warm space during the winter months offering games, sweet treats and a hot drink.

For more information about the cricket club go to: https://daisyhillcc.play-cricket.com/home

If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on X @chloewjourno.