Jill Burgess is the Welfare Officer at Workington Cricket Club in Cumbria. It is a real community club involving the locals in spectacular Cricket Force days and fundraising for local charities. It has really good school club links and has participated in the ECB's Chance to Shine and Cricket in the Community programmes. Workington Cricket Club was the first club in Cumbria to gain Clubmark Accreditation back in 2003.

Jill has been involved with Workington Cricket Club for 3 years, taking on the role of Club Welfare Officer a year ago. Jill originally got involved because her son played cricket and she wanted to help out with the club, she said "we have always playing an active part in whatever he has done. Prior to cricket, we were actively involved in Cumbria Kart Racing Club based at Rowrah".

We asked Jill what impact she felt Clubmark has had on the club,

"The main impact of Clubmark at Workington Cricket Club is that it focused our committee into having a clear structure for all our policies & procedures. Workington Cricket Club has benefited in many ways since our accreditation to Clubmark. Many funding organisations require a club 'Health check' as part of the Criteria - once we highlight the fact that we are a Sport England Clubmark accredited club we get a quick thumbs up with minimal follow up on our policies & procedures."

"Workington CC now has stronger Club / School links as we are able to show our PLT, school head teachers, PE Coordinators that we are accredited & have all our procedures and policies in place. We have an underlining approval from the Parents of our Junior players who are given an insight into our policies & procedures at Club induction presentations at the start of the season".

In her role as Welfare Officer Jill finds herself dealing with a variety of activities, she told us she is "currently planning a junior tour to Lancashire and Birmingham areas and the club is in the process of providing new changing rooms for junior girls".

Jill enjoys having an active role within the club, especially "the opportunity to actively contribute to the running of a successful cricket club providing sporting activities to a large amount of children in the Workington area". Jill's own personal sporting Champion is Lewis Hamilton and his family "for their determination to achieve the unachievable by becoming Formula 1 world champion"

Finally Jill's message to others is,

"Clubmark accreditation helps to focus the valuable work we all do within what is a voluntary organisation. Accreditation leads to better quality provision and improvements throughout, coaching, player performance, management and volunteers."