A Devon cricket club which is a community hub for sports and leisure groups has upgraded its facilities thanks to support from South West Water’s Better Futures Fund.
Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club has been an important flagstone of the community for over 100 years but as the need for the club continued to grow, volunteers knew the facilities needed an upgrade and applied to South West Water’s Better Futures Fund for help.
The fund supported the club by providing them with funding to upgrade its plumbing and install fridges and kitchen facilities which helped to create a fully functional space for members of the cricket club.
Already, the kitchen is making a big difference to the club. Previously, volunteers had to prepare food at home to bring to the club’s ‘cricket teas’, or daily juniors cricket matches. Now, they can all prepare food together in the kitchen, and the communal experience has become just as important as enjoying the food it makes.
The club hosts a barbecue every Sunday during the summer, and during the winter the kitchen will be used to hold training sessions for clubs and support participants competing in running sessions held on the grounds.
As well as attracting new groups to the grounds, the improved kitchen will allow existing groups including over 500 school children, book clubs, SEND festivals and the regular cricketers, to spend more quality time together.
What might appear to be a seemingly minor development to the club, has made a substantial difference by providing the community with more time and space for fostering connections and networking.
Carolyn Roper, Fundraising Coordinator at Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club, said: “Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club would like to thank South West Water for their support enabling us to install a community kitchen at the cricket club. The kitchen was up and running ready for the start of the cricket season and has had a hugely positive impact with so many teams making their own cricket teas.”
Dani Twelvetree, Director of Customer Communications and Engagement at South West Water, said: "The Better Futures Fund is all about bringing communities together to foster connections, and what better way to bring people together than over a plate of food? We are delighted that, with our support, Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club now has these additional facilities to host events, prepare food together and provide refreshments for club members."
For more information about the Better Futures Fund and how to apply for support, visit