Devon Cricket Board - Sport England grant boosts Stoke Gabriel pavilion scheme

Sport England grant boosts Stoke Gabriel pavilion scheme

A computer-generated image of Stoke Gabriel’s new pavilion
STOKE Gabriel have won a £50,000 grant from Sport England towards the cost of a new pavilion on their ground.
The Villagers have been playing at the J E Eastley Memorial Ground for nearly 30 years – and for most of that time a former seaside chalet has served as their pavilion.
The chalet became surplus to requirements at the Redcliffe Hotel in Paignton so the club dismantled it and rebuilt it on their ground.
Stoke Gabriel built a new dressing room complex in 2007, which created more space in the old chalet for teas and post-match social evenings.
Plans have been in the pipeline for nearly ten years to replace the pavilion, which is becoming more and more dilapidated.
Steve Tolley, the Stoke Gabriel chairman, said by putting together an attractive bid package to Sport England, the pavilion can be torn down before it falls down.
“It won’t just be the cricket club using the new pavilion, but Paignton Archery Club and a new bowling club for the village,” said Tolley.
“The archers have been using our ground for some time, but the bowling club is a new venture.
“Land behind where the pavilion stands now is the ideal size for a bowling green, once we get it leveled.
“The plan is to play indoor bowls on mats at first, then get outside once the rinks are laid out.”
The cost of the pavilion project is around £75,000. The rest of the money has been found by the club and from a Section 106 agreement made by a builder.
“When some houses went up in the village, part of the planning consent was a Section 106 clause that the builder would put some money into a community project,” said Tolley.
The timber- framed construction will be prefabricated by the manufacturers in Derby and put together on site – once the old pavilion has come down.
A spokesman for the company said: “The build on-site should take approximately five days – weather permitting.”
Erection is due to take place in January, which will leave plenty of time for fettling in advance of the new cricket season.
The Stoke Gabriel grant is one of five in Devon totalling more than £350,000 announced this week.
Among the other projects given a grant are the Broadhempston Village Hall and Playing Fields Trust, which has been handed £75,000.

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