Acton Cricket Club is fundraising after losing their ground to David Lloyd gym
Acton Cricket Club has raised half of its £50,000 target since January in order to build a new pavilion after David Lloyd Clubs replaced their former home in 2017.
Since then boys and girls as young as nine and Acton’s senior cricket teams in the Middlesex County League have played matches from a temporary pavilion.
Acton Cricket Club captain Sahil Kher, 30, said: “David Lloyd tore down the old clubhouse and built a huge structure in its place.
“We had to take short term measures, which was to build a temporary pavilion because our league is at the top of the amateur pyramid in Middlesex.”
A strategy for Club Des Sports was devised by The Park Club Limited to benefit Acton residents and surrounding communities by housing more sporting activities on their 21 acres of land in west London.
The plan left Acton C.C. homeless for the first time since 1908.
A promise of £8million of investment from David Lloyd Leisure convinced The Park Club to build the new gym complex on their land.
New beginnings on old ground
After receiving planning permission to build a new permanent pavilion, the cricket club sought to raise more than £50,000 from public donations.
Mr Kher said: “We have just crossed the £25,000 mark which is fantastic, especially because the season itself starts in another five weeks.
“We’ve got excellent relationships with The Park Club, they’ve been incredibly supportive of our new pavilion planting because they own the freehold.
“As a community club open for everyone, we’re hoping to launch a few more community outreach programmes and maybe going into local schools and another big part of our future is to launch our women’s team.”
We reached out to David Lloyd Acton Park for a right of reply and have not received a response at the time of print.
To support Acton C.C. by buying a brick for £20 or having your name permanently displayed inside the new pavilion visit their GoFundMe page.
Featured image credit: John Reeve
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I would be something of value for the people of East Acton if it was to replace the Goldsmiths Arms as a place to take families for a properly cooked Sunday lunch.