Barry West End Cricket Club is bowled over by support from Wales & West Housing

Wales & West Housing (WWH) has donated £1,500 in sponsorship to Barry West End Cricket Club to help them replace ground maintenance equipment and prepare for the 2021 season.

The sponsorship will be used to buy a new mower and scarifier to prepare the pitch for the new season. The club has members aged from 5 to 85 and runs junior and men’s senior teams who play league cricket matches and Sunday friendlies.

Wales & West Housing provided £1,500 in sponsorship as part of its Making A Difference fund, which works with its suppliers and contractors to give back to the local communities through supporting sports and community groups.

Mark Ellis, a Community Investment and Involvement Officer and club spokesman said: “Barry West End Cricket Club has the biggest pitch in Wales and requires a lot of ground maintenance.”

“Like many sporting clubs last year our season and fundraising activities were curtailed due to Covid-19, but we still had the costs of maintaining our grounds. Our old equipment had seen better days and with the postponement of much of the 2020 season it was vital that we were able to access funding to purchase new equipment.

“We are really grateful to Wales & West Housing for their support, the new equipment will make such a difference to our players. The pitch preparation has a massive influence in the way the teams play, and we can’t wait to get back out there.”
Mark Ellis, Community Investment and Involvement Officer and club spokesman

Herman Valentin, Community Development Officer for Wales & West Housing said: “Barry West End Cricket Club has a great record for providing sporting activities for all ages and plays an important role in introducing young children to sporting activities.

“Being able to be outdoors and stay active has been important to people’s physical and mental wellbeing during the past year. As a socially-responsible organisation, WWH is happy to support the club so they can continue to offer local people the opportunity to take part in cricket and improve their fitness in a fun and friendly environment.”
Herman Valentin