People from The Meadows area of Nottingham are being asked for their memories of the old cricket pavilion at the Meadows Recreation Ground.
Work has started at the ground in Nottingham’s Victoria Embankment - the site of a new cricket pavilion benefiting local communities.
The project will see the development of a brand new dedicated cricket clubhouse. To ensure that the old is remembered as the community welcomes the new, local people are being asked to come forward with their special memories.
The four partners behind the initiative are Nottingham City Council, Trent Bridge Community Trust - representing Nottinghamshire Cricket Club, & Nottinghamshire Cricket Board, city architects Maber and construction giant Willmott Dixon.
Tracey Francis of the Trent Bridge Community Trust said: “As part of this really exciting project, we want to mark the old pavilion – and we want people to come forward with their special stories.
“Their memories could be about playing cricket or football on the Meadows Recreation Ground, or spending time down there when they were younger.”
The best memories will be put into a prize draw – with the winner receiving two tickets worth £150 to The Investec Ashes Series at Trent Bridge in August.
All memories will be collated and a memory book made which will be placed in the new clubhouse. The rest will be added to a time capsule which will be buried at the site of the new pavilion on 4 August by cricket players, including England 2005 Ashes hero Simon Jones, and members of the local cricketing community.
The new Victoria Embankment Cricket Pavilion will help rehome two cricket teams as well as boosting football in the Nottingham community – and is being supported by a £150,000 Sport England grant. The grant is part of several funding streams which will see the development of the new clubhouse.
The project is the vision of the Trent Bridge Community Trust to leave a legacy from Investec Ashes Test Matches at Trent Bridge in both 2013 and 2015. The new clubhouse will drive the trust’s aim of maintaining cricket’s status as the sport of choice for the city of Nottingham and the wider county.
“At a time when we know fewer people are playing cricket at community level, our aim was to protect the future of cricket and ensure that the sport continues to be played at Victoria Embankment for the next 100 years.”
The clubhouse will create four changing rooms, toilets, showers, disability access, rooms for officials, kitchen area, and external viewing area.
The build is expected to take 24 weeks with an official launch as part of Trent Bridge’s Investec Ashes Test Match in early August 2015.
The total project cost is £750,000. £388,000 is made up of grants from Sport England £150,000 – along with £125,000 from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), £80,000 from WREN and £61,000 from Nottingham City Council. An additional £5,000 will be met by the fundraising efforts of the Trent Bridge Community Trust. Nottinghamshire Cricket Board will contribute £10,000 and Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club will add £6,500 into the pot.
Around £360,000 will come from the goodwill of Nottingham architects Maber which is designing the project and construction giant Willmott Dixon which is building it through the Willmott Dixon Foundation as part of the group’s Trainee Challenge. The project is also being supported by supply chain partners.
Councillor Dave Trimble, the city council’s portfolio holder for leisure and culture, said: “The new cricket clubhouse on Victoria Embankment will provide a superb resource for the local community and will encourage the continued playing of cricket and football by local clubs. As part of this work it’s important we remember the vibrant history of the building and surrounding area; memories of local residents are key to ensuring the legacy is kept alive for future generations."
Have you got happy memories of the cricket pavilion you would like to share? Share your memories online here or collect a special postcard from the Meadows Library.