Peter Butler and the Essex and Southend Sports Trust are celebrating more than two decades of partnership with Essex Cricket.
On 31 July, the Essex and Southend Sports Trust (EASST) presented its latest annual grant to Essex Cricket during the Club’s Metro Bank One Day Cup fixture against Hampshire. The grant will continue EASST’s support for community cricket, development pathways and Garon Park.
A small part of this year’s wider support will also help Essex Cricket develop its matchday sensory room, making the experience of attending cricket more accessible to people who may benefit from a quieter and more supportive environment.
For Peter Butler and EASST the relationship with Essex Cricket has always been about more than watching the game. It has been about strengthening the Club, investing in its communities and ensuring that cricket continues to flourish for future generations.
Peter Butler was a lifelong and passionate supporter of Essex Cricket. He joined the Club’s Board in 2003, chaired the committee responsible for the Southend Cricket Festival and established the supporters club, the Essex Boundary Club, alongside his lifelong friend Joe Sims. Joe is a founding Trustee of EASST and remains closely involved with the charity today. Their friendship and shared commitment to cricket formed an important part of the relationship that developed between EASST and Essex Cricket.
Peter's connection to the Club combined serious ambition with genuine enjoyment. He cared deeply about how Essex was run, but he also understood that cricket clubs are communities: places where relationships are formed, memories are created and people are brought together.
One of the more light-hearted moments in his Essex story came in 2004, when he became 12th man for Essex against New Zealand at Chelmsford. He wore the number 56, reflecting his age rather than, as the family would joke, his batting average.
One of Peter’s most important contributions came when the future of festival and development cricket in Southend was under threat.
County cricket had been played at Southchurch Park for almost a century, but the ageing pavilion, deteriorating outfield and lack of permanent cricket facilities meant that it was becoming increasingly difficult to continue staging professional cricket there.
Peter was involved when Essex made the difficult decision to move the Southend Cricket Festival away from Southchurch Park. Rather than accepting the decline of county and development cricket in the area, he worked with the Norman Garon Trust, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, Essex Cricket and EASST to help create a new future at Garon Park.
In March 2005, EASST launched a public appeal to support the development of a Centre of Cricketing Excellence for South Essex. The charity committed to matching public donations pound for pound and encouraged cricket supporters across South Essex to become patrons of the project.
Over the following years, EASST helped fund a full-time groundsman, additional performance wickets, outdoor practice nets, covers, sightscreens, ground maintenance and a new electronic scoreboard. It also supported the continued development of Garon Park as a venue for Essex Second XI, Women’s, Ability, Academy and age-group cricket.
Following Peter’s death in November 2021, the ground was renamed the Peter Butler Oval in recognition of the time, energy and financial support he devoted to the development of the site.
The relationship between EASST and Essex Cricket has continued to grow far beyond Garon Park.
Through annual funding for Essex Cricket in the Community, EASST has supported women’s and girls’ cricket, Ability Cricket, junior pathways, school programmes, performance cricket and the provision of equipment in areas where opportunities to play have traditionally been limited.
In 2018, EASST and Essex Cricket established the Small Grants for Cricket Scheme, providing support to clubs and cricket organisations throughout Essex and East London.
Since its creation, the scheme has awarded grants for projects ranging from essential playing and safety equipment to improvements in facilities and participation programmes. It allows relatively modest sums to unlock wider investment and enables clubs to undertake projects that may otherwise have remained out of reach.
Peter would have loved to have been present for Essex Cricket’s 150th anniversary and to have taken part in the celebrations.
Today, EASST is led by Trustees Rachel Butler, Simon Butler, Linley Butler and Joe Sims. Together, they are continuing the relationship Peter helped build and working to ensure that the charity remains true to his belief in the power of sport to strengthen communities and create opportunities.
For Rachel, who now chairs EASST, continuing the relationship with Essex Cricket is about much more than fulfilling an obligation.
“Moving EASST forward and continuing to work with Essex Cricket makes me still feel very connected to Dad,” she said.
“Some of my earliest memories of EASST are linked to Essex Cricket. As a teenager, I remember bringing my friends to Chelmsford and walking around the ground collecting donations in buckets. At the time, it was simply something we were doing to help Dad and the charity, but looking back, it feels very special to have been involved from those early days.
“Dad was most proud of the impact he was able to make in the community. Continuing to advance cricket in the community, while supporting the vision for a Centre of Cricketing Excellence at Garon Park, allows all of us as Trustees to carry forward the legacy he wanted to leave behind.”
Peter’s voice may no longer be heard carrying across the Ground, but his influence remains clearly visible - in the facilities at Garon Park, in the young people progressing through the Essex pathway and in the many communities that continue to benefit from the partnership he helped to build.
As part of this year’s support, EASST is also helping Essex Cricket raise funds to equip the Club’s sensory room. A calm, welcoming space for children and adults who may find the noise, crowds and activity of a busy matchday overwhelming.
The funds raised will help provide specialist sensory equipment designed to help supporters regulate their senses, feel safe and enjoy the cricket with their families. Every donation made to this campaign will be matched by EASST, up to a total of £1,500.
Click here to donate to help complete the Club's sensory room.
