History of Norton Sports Charity
With over 150 years of history behind it, Norton Sports Charity has grown from roots in Norton Cricket Club to its current size. This page is the story of how we came to be what we are today.
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Formed in 1847, Norton Cricket Club subsequently moved from their initial location and rented a ground in Station Road, Norton. One hundred years after their formation, at the end of the 1947 season, the club held a Centenary Dinner and, in an after dinner speech, C. L. Townsend urged members to buy the ground, which was in danger of being taken over for housing development. Townsend’s advice was quickly acted upon and the club not only bought the existing land but a further 12 acres to the north. It also became a charitable trust, with the objective of 'promoting the moral and physical well-being of those resident in the parish of Norton and surrounding areas.'
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Norton Cricket Club scoring hut
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It was then that D. C. H. Townsend had a dream to develop the land into one of the finest sporting complexes in the North of England, and almost single-handedly he set about making his dream come true. The new area was levelled and seeded to provide a second cricket pitch for the 3rd and 4th XI’s, a rugby pitch provided a home for Stockton Rugby Club, and hard tennis courts and a bowling green were added. The new areas and supporting changing rooms were financed with the assistance of a Charitable Trust, as a result of the efforts of David Townsend.
In the 1960s, the old wooden pavilion was demolished and replaced with a modern brick building. Attractive club premises were erected to replace the wooden hut which had served as a clubhouse, and more land was acquired to provide additional rugby pitches and a floodlit soccer pitch, the soccer club being members of the Northern League.
The Avery Cricket Centre, pre-refurbishment
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Yet more development took place in the 1970s and 1980s. Two squash courts were erected and this was followed by an indoor cricket school being built in memory of Victor Avery, a young player killed in the RAF during the War and partially financed by a legacy from his mother.
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In the 1990s, planning permission was obtained by the Trust Management
to develop the land to the north of the railway line which splits the site.
With the aid of a generous grant from the National Lottery came the addition of
all-weather tennis courts, a grassed training area complete with floodlights
and an artificial turf pitch for hockey. These facilities came into use in
1996. Two further squash courts were then added, as well as artificial turf cricket
nets.
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Like many organisations, Norton Sports Charity faced some challenging
times in the late 2000s but through the commitment of everyone associated with
the organisation the situation stabilised.
Linked to the Olympic Games in 2012, our facilities have been significantly developed, with grants from the Sport England Inspired Facilities Fund allowing improvements for archery, bowls, cricket, hockey, rugby and squash. In addition, a new multi-purpose pavilion was erected adjacent to the main soccer pitch in 2010 and new floodlit 3G seven-a-side football facilities were completed in 2012. Through recent times there has been increased usage of the site particularly for archery, football (including ladies' football) and rugby, such that the latest estimate for visits to the site is 60,000. |
The Avery Cricket Centre, post-refurbishment
The bowls pavilion
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In December 2013, Norton Sports Charity being a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee was set up and Norton (Teesside) Sports Complex (as the Charitable Trust had been previously re-named) transferred all its assets to the new Charity.
Marquee fundraising event at Norton Sports and Social Club, 2012
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At the same time, a new Community Interest Company (CIC) owned by the new Charity was created for the purposes of running the non-sporting activities on the site. As such, Norton Sports and Leisure Promotions CIC took over responsibility for running the clubhouse activities on 1st January 2015, following unanimous approval from the members of Norton Sports and Social Club who had previously run these activities.
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So, as you can see, the facilities and activities on the site have continuously evolved and improved – long may it continue!