Creation of Community Outdoor Space

The Pitch

Problem statement

Bradford is one of the highest areas of the UK for social deprivation. Almost a quarter of school children in the City fall into the categories for free school meals. 26.3% of the population is under the age of 18, yet services and facilities that provide community outreach support for this demographic is few and far between. Opportunities for young people to engage in sport and have a place of belonging, have been identified as a key priority area by the local Council. Low Moor Cricket Club is motivated to provide such opportunities and in doing so, create a social environment and outdoor space that allows people to meet, engage, feel belonging & share experiences through sport (cricket).

Solution

The aim of our project is to create an annex to the existing Club Pavilion that can provide an outdoor social space for service users. The request for funding allows us to build a small patio area, suitable for outdoor events and public usage overlooking the cricket field where we can open our doors to the public all year round, offering services and facilities that help user groups meet, engage with peers, create bonds and friendships and ultimately, provide opportunities for people to engage in physical activities that provide confidence, a sense of belonging and long-term health benefits. The outdoor space will act as a Community Hub for users.

Why are we best placed to deliver?

Bradford suffers from a lack of opportunities for young people to engage in physical fitness, a sense of club commitment and team belonging. Health & physical activity through cricket, is one of the UK's major growth sports, noted off the back of national successes with the England teams. Our Club is best placed to oversee this growth, working alongside the existing 100+ children we already cater for. The project will allow schools and local young groups to utilise the facilities all year round. Our Club is recognised nationally for its work in youth engagement. It has been recipients of multiple awards, had Sky TV cameras film at our clubhouse and won Grassroots Awards for junior sport.

Focus Areas

Delivery plan

Budget breakdown

Beneficiaries

1,000 people

Expected impact

Project impact will be measured in the following ways: - It is expected that over 1000 per annum will utilise the created space. This will be monitored and measured through footfall analysis by the Club. It may result in increases in membership but overall, it is significantly investing in the infrastructure that allows young people to feel part of a club, a movement, a family, that helps to ease social pressures and create lifelong opportunities. - Impact will be measured by working with the West Yorkshire Crime Commissioner and the task force established to reduce anti-social behaviour in Bradford. The City has one of the highest rates of crime in the UK and much of this is linked to a lack of engaging facilities for young people. - Impact will be measured by economic spend in the local area. By creating opportunities for engagement, it is expected that approximately £50,000 per annum will be leveraged by services users for the local area (estimate).

Track record

The club has been a key stakeholder in Bradford South for many years. The local businesses, charities, faith groups, youth associations and wellbeing businesses all utilise our Centre as a venue. We have spent many years engaging with the local community to identify what Bradford South needs. Our Impact Assessments from previous grant applications, our online User Surveys and our work directly in the community provides us with the track record of successful project delivery in the area. In the last 5 years, the Club has: Invested in playing facilities to support its membership and widen participation by 60% Hosted events for Neighbourhood Watch, Slimming World, Nursery Parties, Cycling Club, Bingo, Church Meetings, Business Meetings, Charity Events, School Hire. The local people use our Centre all year round. Impact Data (taken from our 5 Year Plan): 45% increase in membership subscription. 85% increase in female sport particpation. 50% increase in bookings from pre Covid-19 years