SUPPORTERS of Melksham Cricket Club are being urged to vote now to boost their chances of winning a share of a £1 million fund.

Melksham CC is on the shortlist to win a share of Persimmon Homes’ Building Futures £1m pot supporting under-18s nationwide.

But first the club needs as many online votes as it can get to win cash to help its development.

Persimmon Homes Wessex is backing Melksham CC to be a prize winner at a gala dinner in October, where cash awards of £100,000, £50,000 or £20,000 will be made to those winning the most online votes.

Melksham CC chairman Gary Burns said: “It is a huge achievement to have been selected as a regional finalist, but now we really need people to get behind us and get voting so that we are in the strongest possible position to earn one of the top three cash awards on the night.”

The club wish to install a new All Weathers Cricket Net System for the community to use.

Mr Burns added: “Voting could not be simpler. Just log on to www.persimmonhomes.com/building-futures/ and select Melksham Cricket Club and vote for us. We would really appreciate everyone’s support.”

He added: "We are a sports club with a growing youth section of cricketers, with our youngest players aged just five years old.

"With youngsters of all abilities, and both boys and girls, we are a family-friendly club, welcoming players from across the region.

"If we were fortunate enough to receive this funding, we would be able to install an outside practice net.

"This can be used by the club and the community for all sports in the wet weather and all year round."

Wiltshire Treehouse, which offers bereavement support for children and young people in Swindon and Wiltshire, will represent the health category at the national final, while Melksham CC has been selected to represent sport, and Quest for Learning, based in Didcot, will represent arts and education.

Building Futures is being delivered through the Persimmon Charitable Foundation.

Through the scheme, a total of 128 grants of £1,000 have been awarded to groups supporting sport, education and arts, and health across Persimmon’s 31 regional businesses and its head office.

Persimmon Homes is an official partner of Team GB and the Persimmon Charitable Commission enlisted the help of athletes Jason Kenny and Laviai Nielsen to help determine the three regional finalists for each business division.

One initiative from each category will go on to win £100,000 each through a national award scheme to be decided by a public vote.

As well as the £100,000 first prize, there will be a £50,000 second prize and a £20,000 third prize in each sector, while a further 87 shortlisted projects will each receive £5,000.

Online voting opened on Monday, July 27 and will close at midnight on Friday, September 18.

To support Melksham CC please visit: www.persimmonhomes.com/building-futures/