Media Release
Carsons & Mangotsfield Cricket Club secures £50,000 from sporting legacy fund
A cricket club in the Mangotsfield area near Bristol has secured 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. Carsons & Mangotsfield Cricket Club will use the £50,000 funding to buy new outdoor cricket nets, enabling even more local people to get involved in the sport. Currently all players have to use the square for practice, which restricts the number of sessions that can be held at  the same time and leads to over-use of the wicket. Sport England’s Chair, Richard Lewis, said: “This investment will create will be a fantastic sporting legacy for the Mangotsfield area. “This fund has really hit the mark with sports clubs in the South West. 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.” The club’s Youth Coordinator, Andrew King said: “The club is absolutely delighted to receive this award as in past seasons we always had to practice on the edge of the square with a temporary net. This means that from April, we will have a purpose built three-lane net  facility which I have no doubt will improve the skills of all youth and senior players and encourage more of the local community to join our club and play cricket. " Local MP, Chris Skidmore, said: “Carsons and Mangotsfield Cricket Club is a fantastic local club which is well-respected in the local community, and does great work getting people into cricket. This investment will make a real difference to the club and the local community, and as the local MP I’m really grateful to Places People Play for the award which will leave a lasting legacy for the future of cricket in our area.” A total of 632 sports groups from across the country applied to the first round of Inspired Facilities – while another 2,000 applications have been created by organisations looking to apply in the four remaining funding rounds. Responding to the unprecedented demand, Sport England has announced that up to £7 million of additional awards will be made in the first round of investment decisions, taking the first round total to £17 million. Places People Play is being delivered by Sport England. We are working 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”. A huge thank you to Sport England, Chris Skidmore MP, Andy King and everyone who has worked so hard to make this possible.  
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