Ground has officially been broken on the new state of the art pavilion at Stocksbridge Cricket Club.
Work got underway with the demolition of the old pavilion, which stood for over 100 years at Bracken Moor Lane, with a modern and inclusive venue to be built in its place.
Following the demolition, ground was officially broken on the site with a spade in the ground ceremony that was attended by Towns Fund Board co-chair Marie Tidball MP, Board member Ian Sanderson, members of Stocksbridge Cricket Club and Sheffield City Council.
Commenting on work getting underway, Marie Tidball, MP for Stocksbridge and Penistone and co-chair of the Stocksbridge Towns Fund Board said:
"I'm delighted that construction work has started on a new cricket pavilion for our Stocksbridge Cricket Club!
“It was great to join members from the club, along with Town Fund Board member Ian Sanderson to celebrate this milestone at their grounds at Bracken Moor.
“The club’s current pavilion will be transformed with graded, inclusive facilities, including ECB-approved changing rooms and a new social venue for hire by the local community. A massive thank you to Graham Silverwood for his word as Board project lead for the cricket pavilion, for all his work in driving this forward.
“With the number 35 Hopper Bus revived, and the 34 route restored to Bolstertone, the 519 en route to being completed and a new cricket pavilion coming soon, I am proud that residents are starting to see the promise of the Towns Fund finally being realised."
Updated facilities will include ECB-approved changing rooms, better accessibility and a new social space that will be available for private hire by the local community.
The project is supported by the Stocksbridge Towns Fund and will allow the club to develop its men’s, women’s and youth teams to secure the future of cricket in the town for the foreseeable future.
Work is scheduled to be completed by Autumn this year.
Graham Silverwood, Stocksbridge Towns Fund Board member with responsibility for the cricket pavilion project, said:
“A lot of planning and hard work has gone into getting the project to this stage and while there is a lot of work still to do, it’s fantastic to see work on the new pavilion get underway on site.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling seeing the old pavilion be demolished as there was a lot of history tied to the old pavilion and I’m sure lots of people have memories attached to it.
“However, the new pavilion will provide both better facilities for all Stocksbridge Cricket Club’s players and a great asset for the rest of our community.
“I look forward to seeing the work continue over the coming weeks and months as the project comes to fruition.”
Dom Gentlesmith, Treasurer at Stocksbridge Cricket Club, said:
“The old pavilion held around a century of memories, so seeing it come down is emotional for many people connected to the club.
“But what’s replacing it will be one of the biggest investments in the club’s history and will give players, volunteers and the wider community facilities they can be proud of for many years to come.
“The aim is to create a modern venue that helps cricket in Stocksbridge continue to grow for decades to come.”