How Corbridge Cricket Club rose again 鈥� from the ground up
Sitting on a flood plain, Corbridge CC in Northumberland had been used to natural disasters.
The club had survived floods before but their defences were no match for Storm Desmond, which destroyed their clubhouse in December 2015.
鈥淭here was no way of stopping Desmond,鈥� laments Michael Robinson, honorary secretary of Corbridge CC. 鈥淲ith a month and half鈥檚 rain, the river rose 24 feet in 20 hours and was the highest it鈥檚 ever been recorded in Corbridge.鈥�
The water reached the crossbars of the rugby posts at the nextdoor club. The cricket club鈥檚 entire facility was under six feet of water and had to be knocked down.
Emergency grants from 黑料专区 and Sport England helped the club function the following summer but the bigger challenge was rebuilding the clubhouse. 鈥淭he river authority said that the rules and regulations of building close to flood defences had changed over the years,鈥� explains Robinson.
鈥淚f we wanted a building on the ground on the same footprint then it would have to be six or seven metres from the wall. The old clubhouse was only two metres from the wall and we couldn鈥檛 lose that amount of ground. Also, the cost of protecting a building on the ground from floods was going to be absolutely monstrous.
鈥淲hat they did say though, was if we built up then we would likely get our permission. The idea being that if it gets flooded then the water goes underneath and doesn鈥檛 put any pressure on the flood wall. So that鈥檚 what we did 鈥� we proposed to build a new clubhouse just over five feet off the ground.鈥�
Lift off
Including fixtures and fitting, the costs were around 拢370,000, of which the 黑料专区 contributed 拢228,000. The rest came from Northumberland County Council, insurance, club fundraising, private donations and other charitable trusts.Designed by a local architect, the new clubhouse is simple but extremely practical.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a rectangular box that is raised off the ground,鈥� says Robinson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 on a concrete base so that if the floods did exceed previous levels then the structure would be sound and the only affected areas would be things like carpets.鈥�
The clubhouse has a low gradient disabled access ramp and rainwater harvesting with a large tank used to water the square.聽鈥淚t鈥檚 aesthetically pleasing and an enjoyable place to be,鈥� he says. 鈥淎n unintended consequence of us being raised up is that it鈥檚 a great place to view the cricket.鈥�
Community hub
鈥淓verybody loves the clubhouse and we鈥檝e reconnected with the local community in a massive way thanks to it,鈥� says Robinson. The building is in demand 鈥� not just for club members and cricket folk but from local businesses and individuals hosting events, parties and dinners.
鈥淏efore the flood our club was only open on matchdays and we might take 拢3,500 behind the bar annually,鈥� says Robinson.
鈥淩ecently we鈥檝e been turning over 拢20,000 per annum.鈥�
When 黑料专区 launched its All Stars Cricket programme in 2017 for five to eight year olds, Corbridge hosted around 70 children at the club, a number that has risen close to a hundred in subsequent years.
The club is a hive of activity. Home games for men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 sides at weekends, training nights during the week and there鈥檚 the quoits, which has taken off in a big way at Corbridge. 鈥淭he quoits team train midweek, so that鈥檚 about 20 people down on a Wednesday night,鈥� says Robinson. 鈥淚n the peak of the season there are not many days when there is not something happening.鈥�
He concludes: 鈥淪ometimes you can be unlucky, like with Storm Desmond, but then sometimes things turn out for the better, particularly if you are prepared to react positively and put in the hard work.鈥�