Banks Group helps rugby club tackle costs

A Northumberland sports club is closing on a fundraising goal to upgrade essential grounds maintenance equipment thanks to a boost from a regional employer.

Blyth Rugby & Cricket Club is raising £25,000 to buy a new compact tractor with aeration and mowing attachments, replacing a 20-year-old mower. 

The upgrade will allow volunteers to better maintain the club’s five-hectare grounds for training and matches.

Welcoming more than 22,000 visitors annually to Plessey Road, the club recently underwent an RFU inspection, which identified key areas for improvement - something the new equipment will help address.

A £2000 grant from Durham-based family business Banks Group has helped push total funds past £21,000, with the club aiming to reach its target by the spring. 

The foundations for a new storage garage have already been laid, and club leaders hope the improved pitches will attract more local players.

Jonathan Barlow, secretary at Blyth Rugby & Cricket Club, said: “Our volunteers put a huge amount of work into our pitches, but the enduring drainage issues we have and the worn-out equipment we’re currently using means they’re not always in the condition that we’d like them to be, especially during the winter.

“The additional tools and capabilities that the tractor has will make a fundamental, long-term difference to their condition, will reduce the time it takes to get them ready and will ensure we’re providing the best possible surfaces for training sessions and matches.”

Jamilah Hassan, community relations manager at the Banks Group, which last year distributed funding to more than 80 organisations in grants totalling nearly £375,000, added: “Blyth Rugby & Cricket Club makes an impact right across South East Northumberland, both on the field and in the opportunities it provides to its younger players to learn about teamwork, fitness, self-confidence, respect and community spirit.”

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