News / Gloucestershire Cricket
Gloucestershire Cricket secures £400k funding boost from regional investor
Following their white-ball triumph in the T20 Blast last year, which ended a decade-long trophy drought, Gloucestershire Cricket got off to a flying start in 2025.
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club has secured a £400,000 investment from Bristol & Bath Regional Capital (BBRC), a prominent regional impact investor, to enhance its community programmes and create new revenue streams.
The investment, managed by the City Funds impact investment fund, will support the development of three key initiatives aimed at benefiting local communities.
The first programme focuses on providing educational and employment opportunities for young people facing barriers to entering the workforce, facilitated through local partnerships.
The Bristol Refugee Project, which proved to be a huge success last year, received support from first-team players such as Miles Hammond, Marchant de Lange, Graeme van Buuren, and David Payne – photo: Gloucestershire Cricket
The second initiative, the Bristol Refugee Project, extends the club’s support for refugees by offering a 25-hour life skills programme, alongside cricket training, in collaboration with City of Bristol College.
The third project seeks to revive a partnership with BIMM Music Institute, offering young local artists the opportunity to perform on matchdays, providing them with a wider audience.
Jari Moate, investment director at BBRC, commented: “Gloucestershire represents another organisation making a significant social impact in our region, empowering young people and minority groups.
“This investment will enable the club to reinstate successful programmes and expand its efforts to help even more people in the South West.”
The Bristol Refugee Project, which proved to be a huge success last year, received support from first-team players such as Miles Hammond, Marchant de Lange, Graeme van Buuren, and David Payne. The sessions fostered a sense of camaraderie and social interaction for young Afghan refugees who have recently resettled in the area, helping them adjust to their new home.
These new programmes build on Gloucestershire’s ongoing community work, including “Walkers and Talkers” sessions, walking cricket for older people, and educational visits to local schools. The club also supports mental health charities and provides career guidance through the Restore Trust.
Neil Priscott, interim chief executive, expressed his enthusiasm for the investment, highlighting the strong partnership between the club and BBRC, which will allow Gloucestershire to further its mission of social impact and community empowerment.
Following its triumph in the T20 Blast last year at Edgbaston (pictured), Gloucestershire Cricket got off to a flying start in 2025 with a £400k funding boost from BBRC – photo: Gloucestershire Cricket
He said: “We are thrilled to receive this investment from BBRC; it’s a powerful demonstration of support for our work, ethos, and impact.
“This investment marks a great partnership between a locally embedded sports club and an impact-driven, locally embedded investor. BBRC has been instrumental in driving a strategic commercial transformation that supports the social impact at the core of our Club’s business plan.”
Roger Gracie Bristol martial art centre in Southmead has been an important community hub in North Bristol area and beyond – photo: Milan Perera
Another recent regional investment of BBRC was a £390,000 funding boost to Roger Gracie Bristol (RCB), a Bristol-based Brazilian Jiu Jitsu association, to bolster its community engagement by bringing “more people in personal crisis onto the mats” through inclusive programmes.
Main photo: Milan Perera
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