With the Ashes now just weeks away, the Sports Council for Wales is investing in Torfaen’s cricketers of the future with £1000 of Community Chest funding for Panteg Cricket Club.

In a bid to expand their junior section and provide the opportunity for young cricketers to progress through the ranks, Panteg Cricket Club in Griffithstown is injecting the Sports Council for Wales’ cash into providing softball cricket for under 9 year-olds.

Currently running a total of 12 teams from U11 through to both senior Saturday and Sunday sides, the club will inject the funding into purchasing new equipment and training up new coaches.

Community Chest, which is celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year, is a National Lottery grant managed by the Sports Council for Wales and supported locally by Torfaen County Borough Council. It is designed to encourage more people to become more physically active, more often.

Chair of the Sports Council for Wales, Philip Carling, said:

"Community Chest has been and continues to be a huge success and is very popular throughout Torfaen. Over the last ten years, it has made a big difference to small community projects right across Wales and now embraces all sorts of community groups such as the Women’s Institute, not just your local football club."

"Panels based in each of the 22 local authorities in Wales hold the purse strings and have delegated authority to award grants to worthwhile projects. We want to hear of bright ideas and projects that will get more people in Torfaen more active, more often."

After a decade’s worth of investment totalling over £9million, the Sports Council for Wales and the National Lottery are celebrating the successes of community groups and sports clubs that have flourished through unlocking Community Chest funding.

Since its inception in 1999, communities across the length and breadth of Wales have been investing heavily in sports and physical activity projects.

Organisations keen to develop sport and physical activity in Wales can receive up to £1000 for a qualifying project over a 12 month period.

Contact your Sports Council for Wales regional office to get your project going:

South East Wales: 0845 045 0904

South West Wales: 0845 045 0906

North Wales: 0845 045 0908