Sport England cheque presentation at Heywood Cricket Club. Callum Grogan (left) and Thomas Grogan (right) play cricket. (Back row, left -right) Jim Dobbin, MP for Heywood, John Rhodes, vice chair of Heywood CC, Andrew Fawkes from Sport England, and Councillor Colin Lambert.

Heywood Cricket Club has secured £50,000 of Olympic legacy funding from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund.

The Inspired Facilities fund is part of the £135 million Places People Play legacy programme that is bringing the magic of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games into communities across the country. Every sports facility that receives funding will carry the London 2012 Inspire mark – celebrating the link to the Games.

The funding will enable the cricket club to install a three lane artificial net training facility, which will be enclosed by a fence. This would enhance the ability of the club to provide cricketing opportunities to not only existing members but also to local schools and encourage more individuals to play cricket.

Sport England’s Chair, Richard Lewis, said: “This investment will create a fantastic sporting legacy for Heywood.

“This fund has really hit the mark with sports clubs in Rochdale. It shows we’re offering the legacy that people want for their local community. For hundreds of clubs and tens of thousands of people, 2012 will be the year their local sports facilities got better.”

Heywood Cricket Club Chairman, Mike Law, said: “We are delighted to secure the first Inspired Facilities grant, which will enable us to upgrade the quality of our facilities to match the quality of our volunteer coaches. This award will enable the club to give even more of the town’s youngsters chance to participate in cricket. We are proud to be playing a part in the 2012 Olympics’ legacy.”

Local MP, Jim Dobbin said: “I congratulate Sport England on the Places People Play programme and Heywood Cricket club for all they do to support the Local Community, especially the young people of Heywood.  The £50, 000 is most welcome and will enable much needed improvement to the clubs’ facilities.”

The project is one of 350 local community sports groups who have been offered a total of £17.4 million in Olympic legacy funding through the Inspired Facilities Fund.

The investments announced today will breathe new life into tired facilities that can be unattractive to sports participants, difficult to maintain and run. Grants have also been offered to convert existing buildings into venues that are suitable for grassroots sport and to allow local clubs to buy the facilities they use.

Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP, said: “We want to use the Olympic and Paralympics next summer to inspire a generation to get involved in sport across the country. This is why as part of the £135 million Places People Play legacy programme we invited community sports clubs to apply for funding to upgrade their facilities.”

Inspired Facilities has been designed to be as simple and accessible as possible for potential applicants, with a shorter form and a catalogue of ready-made options to choose from. This is the first of five funding rounds of Inspired Facilities; the second round opens on 1 February 2012, offering hundreds more local groups the chance to bid for a further £10 million of funding.

Places People Play is being delivered by Sport England. We are working in partnership with the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the British Paralympic Association (BPA) with the backing of The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the London 2012 Inspire mark.

LOCOG Chair, Seb Coe, said: “This is a fantastic funding project that will deliver a real legacy from the London 2012 Games. It will provide a whole range of sporting opportunities for young people through improved facilities and will I hope inspire them to take up sport.”

The announcement was welcomed by the Local Government Association. Cllr Chris White, Chair of its Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said: “In spite of budget pressures, councils are striving to keep supporting local sports clubs and want to work with them in creating a lasting and meaningful Olympic and Paralympic legacy. This much-needed funding will hopefully act as a catalyst to further strengthen local partnerships between councils and sports clubs and get more people playing sport.”

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