STACKSTEADS Cricket Club is set to receive a grant from Sport England to help it recover from damage caused by the Boxing Day floods.

The club was “on the brink of folding” after the deluge on Boxing Day last year flooded the New Hall Hey Cricket Ground in Rawtenstall and filled many parts with silt, leaving it practically unusable.

But now as part of its emergency flood relief fund to safeguard community sport, Sport England has offered the club £4,000 to help it make repairs and recover from the damage.

Club secretary Jonathan Butterworth said that he was delighted with the help that has been offered by Sport England after the floods threatened to destroy the club’s future.

He said: “It seems that every cloud has a silver lining.

“It was a very dark cloud on Boxing Day and we really did think we were on the brink of folding because we just don’t have the financial means to get the amount of money we needed for the damage.

“But the money that Sport England gave has given us will help enormously and get us back on our feet for the season’s our third home game of the season.

“We have been really lucky and we owe a huge amount of thanks to the Lancashire Cricket Board for advising us when we needed it most.

“We have managed to find an alternative ground in Bacup Cricket Club for the first couple of games of the season so a big thanks to them as well.”

The cricket club was just one part of a trail of destruction left by the unprecedented floods and record river levels on Boxing Day which left hundreds of people homeless as the army was called in to evacuate houses in the Ribble Valley, Rossendale and Padiham.

The club has faced many obstacles in the past and was under threat back in 2007 after rent was increased at their former home the Waterbarn Recreation Ground by landowner Geoffrey Fielding-Bell shortly after he bought it.

A rent payment settlement was eventually reached allowing the club to stay at its home of more than 100 years.

Rossendale MP Jake Berry said it was great news that the club would be able to get back on their feet.

He said: “I am delighted to hear that Stacksteads Cricket Club has received this funding following the floods.”

“With England only having got to the Twenty-20 finals this week this is great news for everybody involved with the cricket club helping us build our players for the future.”

Mr Berry also opened up the new Park Mill Furniture and Flooring Shop in Helmshore ar the weekend which has successfully recovered from the floods.