A VILLAGE cricket club in Sedgemoor has been awarded £20,000 to start developing a new ground and pavilion.

Mark Cricket Club are one of the latest beneficiaries of the National Grid's Community Grant Scheme, which since 2018 has awarded nearly £400,000 to 24 local groups along the 57km Hinkley Connection route.

Mark Cricket Club chairman Tim Moxey said: “We’re delighted that National Grid has recognised the club’s contribution to the local community in this way.

"We’ll now be able to press on with our plans to broaden the range of cricketing opportunities available to the local community and the surrounding villages.”

Families in Portbury are also set to benefit from the funding, with £19,762 being awarded to create a new play area in the village.

The grant will help purchase several pieces of play equipment and establish a play park for all the children in the village, with the wider benefit of developing a community focal point for young families.

Rob Larder of the Village Playpark social enterprise created to develop the play area said: “The support offered by National Grid to our village acknowledges the good neighbour they are proving to be in using its resources for the benefit of the communities it interacts with.”

James Goode, Hinkley Connection project director added: “The Community Grant scheme is one of the ways National Grid is supporting the communities and local people in which we work.

"We want to ensure our project leaves a legacy for local people and we are delighted to be able to support local projects like these.”

For more information on the Community Grant Scheme, visit hinkleyconnection.co.uk/community-grant-fund.