Cricket-2011

promoted for a 5th year in a row
nominated most improved ground in the county

Football-2011/12

• The 1st team seeking promotion to Spartan League from the Hertfordshire Premier League. Once confirmed this will be the highest level Codicote have achieved in their 99 year history.
• The U11 Codicote Blacks on schedule to win their League
• he U11 Codicote Blacks on schedule to reach Divisional Cup Final (Semi being played this month)
• The U11 Codicote Red on schedule to reach Divisional Cup Final (Semi being played this month)
• The U17 team through to the Divisional Cup Final
• The Mid Week U18 won The Southern Counties Floodlit Youth League.
• Possible 3 new youth sides, U7, U13 and U14

Table Tennis-2011/12

Since the formation of Codicote Table Tennis Club in August 2009, the Club has played in the SHAW ( St Albans, Hatfield and Welwyn ) League comprising of 50 teams in 5 Divisions. Within the short period the Club and players have won the following honours.

• Promotion in each year from Division 4 to Division 1 as Division Champions
• Winners of The Harvey Shield ( annual Handicap Cup ) in 2011-2012
• Building on the singles successes by both Tom Parker and Alex Kinchin – Smith in each of the first 2 years , this year Alex won the Division 2 Singles, was runner up in the Minor Division Singles and Mike Kilner won the Open Handicap Singles

Tennis -2011

• Codicote 1 – overall champions in the Datchworth Summer League
• Codicote 3 & 4 – won the divisional championships
• Codicote 2 – won promotion
• Ladies 1st team unbeaten all season in Div 4 of the Herts County League and will be playing Div 3 this year. This is the highest they have ever been!

THIS IS WHY WE HAVE GOT TO CONTINUE TO INVEST IN OUR SPORTING AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES.

£171,000 (45.5 % of funding pledges/cash) in or through Codicote contacts;

£110,000 (29.2%) from NHDC;

£95,000 (or 25.3%) from other foundation trusts

£19,000 has been spent on planning fees, marketing and fund raising to give £357,000 currently held in pledges/cash.

In December 2011 we applied for £350,000 from the Sport England Iconic Facilities Fund. This year, in Round 2, there were 28 applications requesting £48m and, against a fund of £10m, 6 awards were made , some to projects of up to £50m in total project value

Our application, although considered good and, indeed, improved on last year’s application, was judged not as strong as others because

•          the project did not give facilities of regional significance in the whole UK sports plan of a  minimum of 2 NGBs of sport ; the focus was more on delivery of sport at a local level and as such we were backed by 7 regional NGBs to raise participation in their sports and had received strong letters of support from them

•          The project did not provide enough assurance that the full funding would be secured from other parties

A final Round 3 of the Iconic Fund (£10m) will be in October – December 2012 leading to awards in March 2013. Unless our project can respond to the key challenges identified above, then a further application is likely to be unsuccessful.

However we have learnt of a future Sport England funding programme – a new fund, Improved Facilities, of £45m is in the process of being developed. This fund will run with a pilot phase in 2012/2013 and full and open rounds up to 2016/2017.Awards are likely to sit between the Inspired (£20k – £150k) and the Iconic (£250k – £3million) programmes. We have been asked to liaise closely with SE on this – we should still anticipate high demand, with a very competitive process still outstripping available funds.

In the meantime we are continuing to approach a range of other funds and, at the moment, anticipate writing to at least 10 funds in the next 2-3 months and a further 10 funds in the second half year. Success in all of this will depend on our being able to continue to demonstrate support locally. As can be seen above, 75% of our current pledges have come from Codicote and North Herts. This is good news and we would welcome further local donations /pledges – see our web site www.jc-codicote.org for details on how to subscribe

We are also in discussion with parties who might be able to sell land for residential building (including much needed affordable housing) in or near Codicote. If any of these parties are successful they have promised major contributions to our project.  In addition we are continuing to look closely at ways of reducing the £1.7m cost of the new centre which would mean fewer funds to raise.

Jim Park (01438820325 or parkiejfh@aol.com)

I dont know if it was John who caught me when I let go of the edge of the roof. One man caught me as I fell to the balcony below and another man caught me as I fell to the ground. Every 12th April since the fire I remember John Clements, Anthony Dutton and Mexander Hammond. I give thanks for being alive and I thank John for his selflessness and bravery. I think too of the families of the boys and wonder how they are coping with their loss. I met John’s wife when I worked at WGC hospital. I wanted to tell her how amazing John was and how grateful I was but I lost my nerve and I always regret that. I will never forget him or the boys. John was a truly remarkable man.”

Sometimes the passage of time dulls our memories so I felt readers of the web site might like to reflect at this time of year on these words from Louise Robinson who was saved by John Clements has offered a donation and to make a commerative glass window for the new Centre.

Thank you, Louise.

Jim Park

At this stage we have raised £357,000 in cash/pledges  and there is no doubt that a lot of this continuing progress stems from the confidence raised by earlier  pledges  made, which in turn have encouraged other funders to follow. More lead pledges will provide yet  more encouragement and if you would like to pledge/donate to our charitable fund raising vehicle ,the John Clements Sports and Community Trust , please fill in the Gift and Banker’s  Order Form on our web site www.jc-codicote.org  or contact Jim Park, the Project Director , by email at parkiejfh@aol.com or by phone at 01438 820325

Funds Raised to Date – Total £357,000

  
In December 2011 we applied to the Sport England Iconic Facilities Fund for £350,000 and will hear the result of our submission by April 2012. We have worked hard on this with the local Sports Partnerships, taken advice from experts in this area of funding, developed strategic regional support from many NGBs of sport and strengthened our business plan which has the support of the local authorities. We are also targeting a further £100,000 of funds from up to 10 funds by the end of June 2012 and having the playing fields accepted as a Queen Elizabeth 11 Field as part of the Diamond Jubilee Year celebrations will help  in this regard, as well as guaranteeing the fields for the playing of sport in perpetuity.

Beyond this we are in active discussion with a number of parties which, if successful, could lead to substantial donations to the project and take us to our target funding of £1.7m. If this materialises later this year or early 2013, we would then proceed with the project for a 2013 completion which would provide a real post London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics legacy. At this stage it is worth remembering the overall aims of the project

The aim of the project is to replace the current  portakabin building  with a new multi sports and community centre . The new facility will bring benefits to people of all ages and gender, address access and facility issues for those with disabilities , offer opportunities to the disadvantaged , enable the provision of  training such as in IT, life style counselling and  the opportunity to reduce of dyslexia and dyscalculia .

The current building is near the end of its extremely useful life and is inadequate to support the continuing growth in usage, the development of additional sporting and social activities, and the provision of a quality resource and permanent home for much needed regular youth activity.

It has served the community well, has developed into a thriving social hub, and has produced outstanding sporting achievements, and has  increased  sport and community activity with 38,000 visits per annum to the centre which we are targeting to increase to over 100,000.

The new centre will provide a sports hall of a size suitable for a variety of sports activities, including; indoor football, tennis, cricket net practice, basketball, netball, tennis, exercise and dance classes. It could also be open as a hub for ramblers and cyclists.

The building will have a room for a dedicated youth club – the current youth group organisers have for years lacked a permanent resource for youth work in the village which frustratingly has hindered its activity and attendance. When not used by the youth club, this area will also be used as a crèche for babies and young parents and a dance studio for people of all ages.

Upstairs will house the community centre which will continue the role of a social hub for the whole village. It will provide after match refreshments, will be a venue for social parties and celebrations ( births /weddings/funerals ) , and for sporting/social activity for the older generations such as carpet bowls and card games/bingo as at present. It will also be a venue for lunch time and evening talks and is open to suggestion for other community uses.

Volunteers have been at the heart of the Club’s success to date with over 80 people regularly involved with the individual sporting clubs and running and delivering the social element. Our aim is to retain this community volunteering ethos, keeping running costs down whilst ensuring the community feels part of and takes ownership of the new facility.

Jim Park

The Trustees thank the Sylvia Adams Charitable Trust for this pledge which raises total pledges so far to £330,000. A Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to all

Mike Pendock, southern regional planning and estates manager for Lafarge, said: “We are committed to supporting communities close to our operations and the new John Clements Sports and Community Centre is exactly the sort of project we are keen to champion.

“Not only will it provide a fantastic sports facility for local families when completed ,it is also bringing people together now to make sure funds are raised and the project is a success.”

The Trustees of the charity are very grateful to Lafarge for this contribution which is administered via the Derbyshire Environmental Trust and Groundwork Hertfordshire and which increases the amount raised to date to £310,000 .
The Trustees, together with the fund raising specialists Midas who have helped in this successful bid for funds, continue to be very active in the further raising of funds.

Cricket

• promoted for a 4th year in a row and are aiming to make it a 5th
• nominated most improved ground in the county

Football

• the 1st team finished 5^th out of 15 in the Hertfordshire Premier League
• the Reserve team won the Reserve Team Cup
• the U16 team won the Division Cup and were promoted
• the U18’s were second in their league

Table Tennis

• Codicote First Team – 3rd Division champions – winning every match
• provided the 2 best players to contest the league cup final
• Second Team now playing in the League after only two years in existence

Tennis

• Codicote 1  – overall champions in the Datchworth Summer League
• Codicote 3 & 4 – also won divisional championships
• Codicote 2 – also won promotion

This is why we have got to continue to invest in our sporting and community activities .

We dearly wish to thank him
and shake him by the hand,
But God will take good care of him,
His future he has planned.

Please warm your broken, weary hearts
with knowledge that, but for him
my son, and many boys and girls,
would be dead, or have broken limbs.

The tree will flower each Easter time
and I hope its blossom will say
‘Thank you John, you saved our lives,
We’ll never forget that day’