*Update 9th October - thanks to the amazing generosity so far from supporters, sponsors, players, parents and fundraising, we are now over the £13,000 mark towards the project.
A long way to go but wow what a brilliant response in just under a couple of months - thanks to all of you who have donated so far!
About Burgess Hill Cricket Club and the 'Turn SJP Green' project
St John's Park has been the home of Burgess Hill Cricket Club since 1872. Our project aims to restore the cricket outfield to the high standard required for cricket participation and park users.
This project will provide a much improved, high standard sports facility for the local community right in the centre of our town.
The current situation..
- Outfield poorly maintained over many years, with no significant investment
- Uneven playing surface which can be unsafe for participants
- More extreme weather conditions – there is far less rainfall causing the outfield to worsen over time
- Dry weather has led to a lack of grass coverage and this is never rectified by the council who are responsible for St Johns Park
- Council contractors are not sports turf specialists and this means the situation gets worse year on year
- Limited council funding for ground improvements, without investment the ground will continue to deteriorate and get even more dangerous
The solution!
Phase 1
- Install irrigation system to the square using pop up sprinklers that will enable the grass to regrow
- The new system has 360 degree swivel heads system and ensures we are able to irrigate much of the outfield
Phase 2
- Laser level the square using surplus soil to level the outfield to further improve the surface for cricket and all park users
- Renovate, top dress and reseed the square and a 25 metre area around the square
Phase 3
- Scarify and reseed the remaining outfield area not covered in phase 2 which once completed will completely renovate the playing area in St Johns Park. The surface will be covered in grass, easy to water and much easier maintain. SJP will truly look like a world class park in the area where cricket is played
Total Project Cost £39,000 over 3 years with completion by Autumn 2022
We know this is a tremendous amount of money in these times, but we have been working for the last 10 years to try and get SJP improved without the required help it needs. It's time for us to take things into our own hands. It's ambitious but we will give it a go. All help to get this done is GREATLY APPRECIATED!
The Clubs 150th anniversary year of 2022 will be greatly celebrated, we will be putting on a great number of events to which the local community will be very welcome as we look to celebrate 150 years of our club playing cricket in our town.
