The Flintshire fund that put solar panels on a cricket club and floodlights on a bowling green
Mold Cricket Club and Aston Bowling Club have upgraded their facilities through a Flintshire community grant fund backed by the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund.
The two clubs are among 14 organisations in the county to receive support through the Flintshire Community Key Fund, administered by Cadwyn Clwyd and the Flintshire Local Voluntary Council.
The fund received £463,393 from Flintshire County Council’s allocation of the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund for the 2025-26 continuation year.
At Mold Cricket Club, the funding paid for an 11.7kW photovoltaic solar panel array and a 23.2kWh battery energy storage system, which the club estimates will cut its CO2 emissions by 2.098 tonnes and save nearly £1,000 in electricity costs each year.
The grant also covered the installation of a 30-metre astro turf pitch, which the club says will provide a playing surface for its 25-strong women’s team and its junior divisions, including the Allstars group for children aged five to eight.
Club chair John Williams said: “We’re very thankful for the support we’ve received to better our facilities, and I’m confident the new astro turf will play a key role in encouraging more women and young people to join our teams.”
“The fund has also been vital in helping us boost our long-term sustainability, as it will reduce our annual electricity costs and allow us to utilise clean energy from a renewable source, which is fantastic.”
At Aston Bowling Club, the funding covered eight new floodlights on the green.
The club has approximately 95 members, with a committee member describing its membership as ageing.
Committee member Tony Hughes said the absence of adequate lighting had been a barrier to younger and working members who could only attend evening sessions.
“The lack of sufficient lighting was a real barrier for our younger members and an issue we’d been wanting to address for quite some time, so we’re grateful for the upgrades which we hope will secure the legacy of the club for the next generation,” he said.
Landscaping works at the bowling club site, including hedge planting, were carried out by Veterans & Community Hub CIC.
Cadwyn Clwyd community enterprise officer Helen Williams said: “We recognise how important it is to empower community groups and we’ve seen so many lives transformed through better provisions by allocating the UKSPF-backed grant.”
Councillor Chris Dolphin, cabinet member for environment, regeneration, countryside, and tourism at Flintshire County Council, said the fund had helped both clubs offer “safe, modern facilities that will hopefully encourage more residents to participate in sports, get active, and build new friendships.”
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