Porthcawl Cricket Club Treasurer John Cullen and Valleys to Coast’s Matthew Palmer with junior members
Porthcawl Cricket Pavilion gets 'refreshed'
June 23rd 2009
Porthcawl Cricket Pavilion has been kitted out with a ‘tasty’ new kitchen and secure back door thanks to Connaught’s partnership with Valleys to Coast housing.
The partnership arranged for the new kitchen to be installed as part of their Building Communities pledge to ‘give something back’ to the areas in which it works, and also to thank local residents for their patience whilst work has been completed within their homes.
The previous kitchen at the Pavilion has been used on a weekly basis since 1955, but had become outdated and was in desperate need of ‘refreshment’ after a recent refurbishment of the rest of the Pavilion was undertaken.
Cricket club treasurer John Cullen explains: “The Pavilion had fallen into a state of disrepair before we underwent a modernisation project and started to replace the old windows, changing rooms and carpets a few years ago. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough funds to replace the old kitchen though, and the back door was falling apart and we couldn’t use it anymore.”
He continued: “The new kitchen is fantastic and those who prepare and make the cricket teas say that it is a pleasure to go in there now! We are all very grateful to Valleys to Coast and Connaught for its help – the improvement work is the icing on the cake!”
Local groups dependent on the venue, including a cricket club, football team and local boys’ and girl’s club, are all pleased with the modern new kitchen and the additional work that has been carried out in the centre.
John Tucker, Connaught’s Partnering Operations Manager, said: “We are committed to providing support to the communities in which we work. It’s our aim to leave lasting legacies for the benefit of the local communities - long after contracts have been completed. We hope that the Pavilion will have a new lease of life and can now be enjoyed by all.”
Steve Curry, Valleys to Coast’s Community Regeneration Manager, said: “Valleys to Coast always seek to add value through our procurement. This is another concrete example of V2C levering additional support for the communities that we serve.”
Connaught, which is one of the UK’s leading integrated services providers in the social housing, public sector and compliance markets, has been carrying out work on the Valleys to Coast (V2C) housing project in the area since 2004 and is working to upgrade 2,500 homes with new bathrooms, kitchens, electrical rewiring and gas systems.
V2C was the first housing association in Wales to be established as a result of a large scale voluntary transfer of social housing ownership by a local authority, supported by tenants.