A FLINTSHIRE rugby club plan to commemorate a locally produced Welsh international player from North Wales when they officially open their £55,000 new clubhouse this summer.
The late Ian Buckett, who played for Swansea, London Welsh and Wales, began his rugby career with Flint and the club are keen to commemorate him at their Cae y Castell ground.
They have just unveiled the new facilities which have been built with the help of a £30,000 grant from Cadwyn Clwyd through the Flintshire Community Key Fund with Flintshire Local Voluntary Council (FLVC).
The rugby club are one of over 40 organisations across Flintshire which have benefited from the Community Key Fund which provided £775,000 in grants over the past 18 months. The Key Fund forms part of a wider suite of projects managed by Flintshire County Council and funded from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Cadwyn Clwyd Community Enterprise Manager Helen Williams said: “The Fund proved hugely popular and was massively over-subscribed. We could have allocated the grant three times over.
“It definitely shows the need and the effectiveness of this kind of community support in helping local organisations build resilience in their communities in both urban and rural areas.”
Ian Buckett, a North Wales-born rugby international – he won three caps while playing for top Welsh club Swansea in the 1990s – tragically died aged 56 last year but had kept his connection with his home club and helped set up the North Wales rugby club, Rygbi Gogledd Cymru (RGC).
Flint Rugby Club Chairman Phil Elder said: “We have changing facilities near the ground which we rent from Flintshire County Council, but we run a junior section and we needed somewhere for them and their parents on match days.
“We wanted to be able to offer them a hot drink and food and we have added toilet facilities and with the help of Cadwyn Clwyd this is the first stage of what we plan will be a new home for the club.
“Ideally we want to be self-contained alongside our pitch at Cae y Castell with a full facility clubhouse and this is the first stage of that progression.
“The club started as Halkyn in 1968 and then moved here as Delyn Rugby Club in the early Seventies and when the Delyn authority ended in 1996 we became Flint Rugby Club.
“The late Ian Buckett began his career here and we’d like to commemorate him as the club has produced some good players over the years including Aron Bagshaw who captains the regional side Rygbi Gogledd Cymru (RGC) in the Super Rygbi Cymru League.”
Flint Director of Rugby Aled Davies, a formidable prop forward for the North Wales side that won the Welsh Counties Cup in his playing days, said: “It’s been a great scheme for us. I began my rugby here when I was 17 and it’s brilliant to see the clubhouse here now and I’m sure the rest will follow as we upgrade the facilities here.”
Cadwyn Clwyd’s Helen Williams added: “We have been delighted to work with Flintshire Local Voluntary Council to help so many organisations benefit from the Flintshire Community Key Fund which has provided a great opportunity for the county’s clubs and societies.
“The money has benefited a range of projects, big and small, across the county, and has helped Flintshire residents build a sense of belonging and pride in their local area and left a lasting legacy for generations to come.”
A total of 49 grants have been made through the Flintshire Community Key Fund, benefiting the whole of the county and ranging from £2,100 for IT equipment at Bagillt Library and £3,000 for a renovated floor at Gwernaffield Church Hall to £47,000 for new floors and facilities at Connah’s Quay Cricket Club and £45,000 to future proof Cymau Village Hall with solar panels and a new roof.
The money comes from the Shared Prosperity Fund, administered by the UK Government, that will have provided £2.6 billion for community investment across the UK by the end of 2025.
For more information about Cadwyn Clwyd contact them on 01490 340500, email: [email protected] or go to the Cadwyn Clwyd website.
