Club Development Plans including Jubilee Changing Rooms
Dear Members,
Spring is approaching us and the promise of summer is beckoning, so this is the time to plan for the future and to work for the long term improvement of the facilities at the Club (and its two grounds) in Bray.
We are, as a Club, enjoying some of the fruits of our recent efforts: greater participation in the game has been helped by better team organisation and a much improved pavilion experience thanks to the imaginative work of the Sports Committee and our very own excellent Club Manager, Brian Dixon. The improved situation does bring its own challenges. Players want as best a ground as possible to play on, there are safeguarding issues for our junior players and we need to improve the facilities on the Jubilee field to help encourage more people to play; men, women, children and visiting teams.
So our two Committees (Sports and Cricket) have been working together through the winter and would like all the Membership to know about some of our plans. And we are seeking volunteers to help too please.
Although we have achieved a lot over the last couple of years - new covers, sightscreens at the Jubilee, re-surfaced the nets, refurbished the scoreboard - with the aid of grants, donations and sponsorship, there are still facilities that need to be improved or refurbished. We are putting together a plan to raise money through sponsorship, national and local grants and our own fund raising initiatives. In short, we are developing a two phase development plan:
Phase 1. To replace the netting around the nets, re-seed and level the main ground cricket outfield and increase the size of the square on the Jubilee field.
Phase 2. To plan and obtain planning permission from the Council to build a small changing room and toilets on the Jubilee field.
This 2-phase plan will not be successful without the firm support of all our members, playing and non-playing. We have managed to recruit an excellent volunteer fund raiser, Jeremy Fletcher, who is a Bray resident and he has asked for 2-3 members to volunteer their time to support him, especially for approaching local businesses as well as wider help with the project. We estimate that the cost of both phases to be about £100K and hope to complete all the work over the next 3 years. The Bray Parish Council and the Royal Borough are supportive in principle but they need more detail before giving their approval for any new physical builds.
We are also lucky to have Roger Le Clercq, who has generously offered his spare time to manage the planning process for the proposed small changing room on the Jubilee field.
If you do have a bit of time or expertise yourself to offer to this project, both Committees would be hugely grateful. Alternatively, you or your company may have some contacts who we could pursue regarding sponsorship and/or involvement in the club. If you do, please pass your name to Brian who will inform the two Committee points of contact. Otherwise, we encourage you all to attend the two upcoming Club Annual General Meetings, where you will hear more about our plans and have a chance to raise questions or concerns and offer your suggestions.
Many thanks and best wishes for the rest of 2020,
Mike Parkinson (Chairman of the M&B Sports Club)
Tim Child (Chairman of the M&B Cricket Club)
