A space for community: Ramsey’s community sporting hub
In this episode our partnerships manager Georgie visits Ramsey to see how the community are teaming up with the local cricket club to construct a multifunctional space to host activities for all ages.
What springs to mind when you think of a cricket field? Is it tea on the lawn, the crack of a six being hit? Or is it excited children and barks from the local dog café?
In Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, local community group, Ramsey Million Big Local, have teamed up with their town’s cricket club and community development organisation Ramsey Neighbourhoods Trust, to create a unique community sporting hub, set to soon be home to regular cricket matches and community activities.
Located in the middle of the Fens, an extensive patch of reclaimed marshland in the east of England, Ramsey is not well connected. As a result, much of Ramsey Million’s community work has focused on accessibility, not just in terms of getting to other places, but making sure that local people have access to activities, services, and opportunities within Ramsey itself.
The group are well known for a campaign to save their local bus service that hit the headlines when it was revealed that residents were walking a 24-mile round trip to sign on at the job centre due to a lack of public transport.
As well as managing to save the bus service, the resident-led group have, in association with Ramsey Neighbourhoods Trust, been incredibly successful in making sure there is never a shortage of things to do for local people.
When visiting Ramsey, you could walk the local heritage trail, socialise your dog, socialise yourself (!) at a coffee morning or get employment advice. And yet, up until now, getting involved in any of these activities might mean trips to multiple venues across the town, with those running sessions traipsing from one building to another, taking their tea and biscuits with them each time.
Now, as the community sporting hub nears completion, local people are looking forward to having a place to call home, a space where anyone is welcome, and their activities for everyone from kids to grandparents can thrive. We visited Ramsey whilst the building was still under construction, so please excuse the noise!
