Babcary Playing Field has become one of the first organisations to benefit from new community funding provided by the team behind the A303 Sparkford to Ilchester Dualling scheme. 

As well as providing money for local projects, the National Highways' social value fund, which is part of a wider commitment to give back to the area, will provide a cricket net and support the restoration of the field.

National Highways A303 Sparkford to Ilchester Project Director Hannah Sanderson said: "From economic prosperity to preserving natural habitats, we know how important it is that we make a positive difference to the communities and the environment where we work. 

"Social value is the sum of the benefits that we and our supply chain partners deliver for people, environment and the economy. 

"We've always built social value into every aspect of our network. That's why we're delighted to be able to offer support to organisations in the Sparkford area and we congratulate Babcary Playing Field on being one of the first successful applicants under this initiative." 

The group has been awarded just over £5,400 to buy a cricket net, help restore the playing field and establish cricket teams that folded 10-20 years ago.

Simon Hoar, Chairman of Babcary Parish Council, said: "Village life and a flourishing sense of community is always something that hangs in the balance, never accidental and never to be taken for granted.

"Cricket, by its very nature, supports that sense of community not just in the field, but through its team teas and cold drinks in the warm summer evenings.

"Without the generous support of National Highways in building Babcary's superb new cricket net it would not have been possible to revive this pastime for cricketers both young and old, and for that Babcary will always be truly grateful."

Now other organisations are being encouraged to get in touch to find out more about how the fund can help them, whether they could benefit from a financial award, materials or volunteers to help complete a project. 

People can email [email protected] for more details. 

Applications are welcome around the four themes of National Highways' social value framework: 

• Economic prosperity
• Improving the environment
• Community wellbeing; and
• Equality, diversity and inclusion

On an average day, the A303 between Sparkford and Ilchester carries 23,500 vehicles, but numbers increase significantly in the summer, particularly at weekends, making journeys unreliable and unpredictable.   

In delivering the scheme, National Highways is aiming to: 

• improve the capacity of the road to reduce delays and queues that occur during peak hours and at key times of the year i.e. the height of summer.
• support economic growth, facilitating growth in jobs and housing by providing a free-flowing and reliable connection between the South East and the South West
• make the road safer, by providing additional capacity and reducing driver stress. We'll make routes safer for pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders in the area.
• protect the environment and look for opportunities to improve it, minimising any unnecessary impact of the scheme on the surrounding natural and historic environment and landscape.
• work with local communities to reduce the impact of the road on a sense of community severance, and look for ways to improve local peoples' quality of life.
• make journey times more reliable and resilient, by providing more capacity it will become easier to manage traffic when incidents occur.

National Highways is working with delivery partners Galliford Try to construct the scheme.  

With construction now under way, the upgrade is scheduled to be open to traffic in spring 2024 and you can find out more about the scheme and the construction process on National Highways' virtual exhibition at https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/south-west/a303-sparkford-to-ilchester/