Gwersyllt Park Cricket Club receives £500k boost from Shared Prosperity Fund

A local cricket club has been awarded half a million pounds to expand its offer and work within the community.

Gwersyllt Park Cricket Club received £500,000 of funding from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

The club has over 700 members who attend throughout the year. In addition to the main adult Saturday Teams, the club now have a disabled cricket squad, a female cricket team and youth cricket teams across the 4 key age ranges (under 9s, 11s, 13s and 15s).

With its share of UKSPF funding, Gwersyllt Park Cricket Club is looking to deliver accessible cricket facilities, inclusive cricket facilities, safe and secure cricket facilities, sustainable cricket facilities, growing the game in the community, increased physical activity in the community and a visible impact in the community.

In response to the successful news, Gwersyllt Park Cricket Club commented: “As a result of this substantial funding from the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund, we can finally look at delivering accessible cricket facilities, inclusive facilities, safe and secure cricket facilities and much more.

“All of this will increase physical activity in our community and will allow individuals to get involved in cricket who previously would not have been able to!

“The Club is very much looking forward to making these positive changes and we are grateful that Sarah Atherton MP took the time to come and visit us today.”

Last year, Wrexham County Borough Council was given £22.4 million from the UK Government as part of the UKSPF.

As part of the UK Government’s Levelling Up Agenda, the aim of the UKSPF is to target areas of the UK that need it most, boosting communities, local pride, supporting public services, improving the town centre, supporting employment, jobs, and growth.

At the beginning of last year, Wrexham Council confirmed that some of the £22.4million would be spent on smaller £250,000 key fund grants.

The full list of successful Wrexham Shared Prosperity Fund projects can be seen below:

• The Prince’s Trust Cymru: Pathway to Employment – Wrexham: £261,639.00
• Erlas Walled Victorian Garden: £264,375.00
• Splash Community Trust: Plas Madoc Leisure Centre Net Zero Project: £340,000.00
• Caia Park Partnership: Maps Plus: £357,586.78
• Gwersyllt Park Cricket Club: Gwersyllt Park Cricket Club Inclusive Facilities: £500,000.00
• Fair Event Management Ltd: Sustainable Large Scale Community Events Calendar for Wrexham County: £500,000.00
• WeMindTheGap: let’s change the lives of 1000 young people in Wrexham in 1000 days, together as a community with love and real opportunity: £510,000.00
• Hwb Yr Orsedd Ltd: Hwb Yr Orsedd – Rossett Community Hub £574,000.00
• Cadwyn Clwyd (Lead) & AVOW: Wrexham Community Key Fund £600,000.00
• WCBC: Enhanced business support provision: £870,000.00
• The Rainbow Foundation: South Wrexham Community Heritage Inclusion and Resilience Project: £1,215,354.40
• WCBC: Welsh Football Museum/Museum of Two Halves: £1,300,000.00
• WCBC: Wrexham Community & Place Key Fund: £1,303,223.00
• WCBC: Wrexham People and Skills Key fund: £1,303,223.00
• North Wales Science Wrexham City: Empowering a Green Evolution: £1,573,750.00
• WCBC: Sites & Premises Feasibility and Capital Grant Key Fund: £1,936,852.00
• Wrexham Tennis Centre Ltd: Wrexham Tennis Centre Transformation Project: £2,000,000.00
• WCBC: Wrexham Placemaking Plan: £2,146,723.75

Sarah Atherton MP said: “It is wonderful news that not only Gwersyllt Park Cricket Club, but so many local clubs and charities in Wrexham have been successful with funding from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

“The UKSPF, allocated directly from the UK Government to Wrexham Council has given Wrexham a much-needed and long-overdue opportunity to address decades of Welsh Labour Government underinvestment and to build pride in our new city.

“This has been the opportunity to break the cycle of funding which only serves to maintain the same areas.

“Having worked closely with Wrexham Council, organisations and stakeholders to ensure this money is spent on what matters to constituents most, I will be visiting as many UKSPF recipients as possible to hear their exciting plans.”