In 1998, Heywood Cricket Club was fighting for its very existence, a situation described as “grim” by then chairman David Fare. An appeal for action by the chairman helped to focus the club, which has been on an upward trajectory ever since.
Clubmark status was finally achieved in 2010, and the board drew up a ten-point plan to take the club to the next level. Part of that plan included upgrading the facilities, and so the club's attention turned to the refurbishment of the pavilion.
These works, the biggest in 40 years, included the replacement of the old, rotting windows, new roller shutters and CCTV to halt a spate of break-ins. Once the external cladding was replaced, the result was a smarter, warmer pavilion, much more befitting a club of Heywood's stature.
Inspired by the efforts to smarten the building, the local community chipped in with funds to replace the carpet in the bar, enhancing the club's reputation as a "public club" and a focal point for the community.