Who are we?

We are a team of volunteers at Dorridge Cricket Club who have successfully fund raised to create a second ground and pavilion building with changing facilities at the club.  The primary beneficiaries of this new ground are women and girls, for whom the growth of the game has been significantly held back due to a shortage of facilities across the region.  2025 will be the first season of cricket on this new ground.

How are we tackling climate change?

We were fortunate to have received funding from the Aviva Community Fund last year when we were completing the new pavilion building.  We have installed solar panels on the roof of the building and storage batteries, which should make the building self-sufficient for its energy needs.  We are in the process of applying to sell back surplus energy to the grid.  

Solihull Council and volunteers have planted over 200 trees around the ground, as part of their 'Planting our Future' scheme, together with over 1,000 hedgerow whips.  Members of the local community have adopted the trees, some in memory of loved ones, and are enjoying spending time at the ground.

Both of these initiatives led to Dorridge Cricket Club winning the 2024 Warwickshire Cricket Foundation 'Tackling Climate Change' award.  We have since become an environmental case study for local cricket clubs.

What are we raising funds for?

The area behind the new pavilion has been churned up by the building work and is a barren, muddy wasteland.  We would like to continue to tackle climate change and enhance the space by creating a community orchard of approximately 20 fruit trees within an area of wildflowers, together with a patio and pathway.

The wildflower mini meadow area is approximately 400sqm.  There is also a bund to the edge of the area, where wildflowers will be sown.  Together with the trees, the orchard and wildflower area is approximately 500sqm.

The ground preparation for sowing the seeds and planting the trees is extensive. We need to clear the existing 500sqm area of weeds and builder debris.  The ground will then be cultivated to a depth of 10cm to relieve compaction and create a fine level tilth.  The ground will need to be lightly rolled before the wildflower seeds can be sown.  We also need to dig the holes for the trees and prepare these areas with compost.

The pathway and patio around the building consists of approximately 50sqm of paving slabs.

What benefits would this provide?

The orchard would provide a fantastic habitat for wildlife and encourage biodiversity, whilst the wildflowers would create stunning and colourful, pollen and nectar rich habitats for pollinators.  

The fresh fruit from the trees would be freely available to members of the community, encouraging community bonding and sustainable food production.

We hope that this community orchard would bring people together around a common respect for nature.  As quoted by The Wildlife Trust, "Spending time outdoors, connecting with nature, has so many benefits to our mental and physical health."  The patio would enable members of the community to sit and relax together, improving social inclusion, whilst the pathway would provide easy access to the area.

How the area looks now

An example of how we would like the area to look

How much do we need to raise?

Given the success of our previous crowdfunder campaigns and the fantastic support we received from the Community, we are now asking for your help to raise £10,000.  This would enable us to prepare the ground to plant 20 fruit trees and create a mini wildflower meadow.  We would also install a patio and pathway.

If we exceed our target, we would spend additional funds on seating, within the wildflower meadow, on the patio and around the ground.

If you are able to make a donation, please click on the link.  We would be so grateful for your support.  There are some fantastic rewards available.

In return for a significant donation, we are able to offer advertising boards, sponsorship and promotion across our website and social media - please get in touch if this may be of interest to your business.  Dorridge Cricket Club is a Community Amateur Sports Club with a Charity Reference number, enabling limited companies to deduct the value of the donation from total profits before paying tax.

Please help us achieve this year's target

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who has supported us with the development of the new ground and pavilion building.  We are now in the final phase and would love to create a special place for the whole community, in what is currently an area of unused wasteland.  A community orchard and mini wildflower meadow, together with a patio, would be a fantastic addition to the local area and help us to continue to tackle climate change.  We would be so grateful for any support you can give us.