So fantastic to see the women’s team using the practice nets at Quatt Cricket Club when I visited on this beautiful summer’s evening. ECT contributed £40k towards this fabulous new facility which has made a huge difference to the club. #thelcf

Day 2 kicked off with The Old Post Office, a community centre operated by Wednesday 2000 where ECT has funded replacement windows throughout and an upgrade to the central heating system. The building hosts numerous activities and has plans for even more! #thelcf

Next stop Roseland Garden where St Thomas’s Community Association is working hard to transform a landlocked open space into a community garden with a grant from ECT. Countless skips of rubbish have been removed with the challenge now being to maintain the space using volunteers.

A £34k grant at Paul’s Church Gornal has funded the refurbishment of the church’s iconic clock tower and modernisation of the clock’s mechanism. I arrived just after the food bank closed, one of a number of important services provided by this community church. #thelcf

Living Hope moved into the former CoE St Barnabas Church in 2022 and have created a vibrant community building which was heaving with toddlers and carers when I visited. A £40k grant has enabled most of the church’s roof to be replaced so it’s now watertight. #thelcf

Last stop Challenge Academy in Baggeridge Country Park where the new shelter is two weeks from completion. Local students are learning new skills erecting the building with guidance from the CA team. It’s a good size and will provide flexibility to cater for multiple groups.

Today’s office is Gloucestershire and my first stop is Naunton Park in Cheltenham where ECT contributed £25k towards a perimeter path to enable year round access to local residents, especially those with pushchairs or mobility issues. #thelcf

Widden Old Boys RFC’s clubhouse had a seriously leaky roof so the club approached ECT for a £50k grant towards its replacement. The clubhouse is now dry and the clubhouse can continue providing a hospitable space for the community. #thelcf

An unusual project to stabilise a mausoleum was the next stop. Guise Mausoleum is one of the most architecturally significant funerary monuments in the UK. In a ruinous condition a £11.5k grant has stabilised it for future generations. #thelcf

Another restoration project, this time a mediaeval pound which had mostly collapsed, in the village of Arlingham. A grant of £22,750 has seen it completely restored by stonemasons and 50+ volunteers and will be celebrated by a village event on 6 July 2024. #thelcf

Happy days! On tour with the ECT Trustees to visit projects in the vicinity of Highfields South Landfill Site. 1st stop Streetly Tennis Club where ECT has funded 2 projects to upgrade the clubhouse and some of the courts and floodlighting. A fantastic community facility! #thelcf

Next stop Aldridge Stick & Wicket Club where ECT contributed £50k towards the upgrade and reconfiguration of the club’s changing rooms. Disabled access is a focus of the project with access ramps installed and improved accessible facilities. #thelcf

3rd stop Pelsall Community Centre where a grant of £17k funded the refurbishment of the outdoor space to include planted trugs, a covered games area and painted games on the floor. #thelcf

ECT has supported two projects with LMRCA and the Independent Saddlers Supporters Association, both for £50k. The 1st is towards a MUGA; the 2nd towards a changing block. Impressive community use and exciting plans for a new clubhouse. #thelcf

The penultimate visit was Delves Green Allotment Community Hub where a grant of £7925 funded the landscaping around the newly installed community building. The hub will be used for community events including educating people about growing veg and healthy eating. #thelcf

The tour finished with a public meeting at The Old Post Office where a £51k grant funded new windows throughout the building, new heating and electrical prep. 30+ people came to meet the Trustees and hear about ECT’s priorities. #thelcf

Out on project site visits today! First stop Marshfield Skatepark where ECT has contributed £50k towards the replacement of the life expired steel skatepark with a far more aesthetically pleasing sculptural concrete skatepark designed by Canvas. #thelcf

Next stop was St James Church Hall in Mangotsfield where a £33k grant from ECT funded the replacement of the hall floor, conversion of a side from storage into a useable space, roof repair and redecoration throughout. It looks sparkling! #thelcf

So thrilled to see the air handling unit being installed at Jubilee Pool and to meet the Trustees who have stepped up to keep this amazing facility open for its local community. ECT has contributed £50,330 towards this important project through #thelcf

Last stop was Millennium Square in Bristol where a £40k grant from ECT has contributed towards access improvements on the site, following an audit to determine barriers. Improvements included colour contrasting infrastructure and accessible seating and dedicated parking. #thelcf