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Orange will be the home of NSW’s first regional, multi-million dollar Cricket Centre of Excellence and it could be open as early as next year.

Deputy Premier Troy Grant, Cricket NSW CEO Andrew Jones and Orange City Council Mayor John Davis announced funding for the $2.2 million project today (October 31).

Cr John Davis said the push to make Wade Park the home of cricket in regional NSW was part of a broader plan to encourage “major games” to be played in the city.

“It is indeed a great day for Orange…we’re absolutely over the moon that we’re putting in about $750,000 into a project worth about $2.2 million,” Cr Davis said.

Preliminary work on the indoor facility, which will include two multi-purpose courts for indoor cricket, suitable for netball and futsal, four adjoining high-performance cricket lanes, change rooms, facilities for those with a disability, office space, a kiosk and a multi-purpose room with a viewing area looking over Wade Park, will begin in the coming months, with completion scheduled for as early as the 2017-18 season.

Mr Jones said Orange was chosen as the first location for one of a dozen regional centres of excellence because of the tenacity of Orange City Council in pursuing Cricket NSW.

“This is the first regional centre we want to build across NSW and we’re delighted Orange City Council took the initiative to be first,” Mr Jones said.

“We’ve got a strategy to build 11 or 12 regional centres of excellence …we thought well this is a council that wants to have a crack and make things happen and so we are very pleased to support it.”

The NSW Government contributed $1 million to the project along with the council’s $750,000 with the remaining funds coming from Cricket NSW, Cricket Australia and Clubs NSW.

The Centre of Excellence will be the new base for the existing Cricket NSW development staff.

Mr Grant said the project would create pathways for “outstanding players” and give them the opportunity to take their cricket to the next level.

“This is an absolutely cracking day for Orange and the central west,” Mr Grant said.

“Today is a massive investment.”

Australian women’s cricket team member, Cricketer Ellyse Perry, who was in Orange for the announcement, said the centre would provide extra motivation for regional sportspeople.

“There’s no better time to be playing cricket… these kinds of facilities provide extra opportunity and motivation to be involved in the sport and the more people we have playing sport... the better. “

CRICKET: Orange mayor John Davis discusses plans for the cricket Centre of Excllence with Cricket NSW CEO Andrew Jones, Australian Women's Cricket team member Ellyse Perry, Nationals candidate for Orange Scott Barrett and NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant.

The Tidy Towns concept has been given an overhaul but as the regaining champion of last year’s awards ceremony, Orange will host more than 100 delegates for this year’s competition.

The Tidy Towns concept, known now as the NSW Blue Star Sustainability Awards, will be presented in Orange in November.

Orange’s Tidy Towns Chair Chris Gryllis said after winning the Overall Regional Sustainability Award last year, Orange has another chance to showcase its environmental credentials.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to show representatives from across the state just what we’re doing here in Orange in terms of creating a sustainable future,” Cr Gryllis said.

“It’s a feather in our hat but it’s also a great boon for tourism.”

The awards weekend will run from Friday November 4 to Sunday November 6 and will commence with a welcome barbecue at the Adventure Playground and tours of the city.

The 2016 winner of the Overall Regional Sustainability Award will be announced on Saturday evening at the Orange Function Centre.

Cr Gryllis said the Rotary Club of Orange had been a fantastic support for Orange and its endeavours towards the Tidy Town concept.

He said the group would be cooking barbecues for delegates throughout the weekend.

Tickets to the weekend, and the Saturday dinner, are still available at the Keep NSW Beautiful website.(External link)

Because Orange won the overall award last year, it is not in the running this year.

Award categories are:

·Hey Tosser! Litter Action Award(External link)

·Waste Less, Recycle More Award(External link)

·Going Green Education Award(External link)

·Habitat & Wildlife Guardianship Award(External link)

·Sustainable Systems Award(External link)

·Cultural Heritage Award(External link)

·Environmental Achievement Award(External link)

·Young Environmental Achievement Award(External link)

·Community Environmental Achievement Award

TIDY TOWN: Orange took out the top gong at last year's awards.

Orange Civic Theatre phone lines started ringing nonstop, mere hours after tickets for the Beach Boys and the Temptations show at Wade Park, went on sale.

But, Mayor John Davis has warned that with such a popular event there are people who might seek to exploit the demand.

“Unfortunately we’ve already had reports of some websites selling tickets at more than three times the price,” Cr Davis said.

“It goes to show how popular this event is, but we’d like to encourage people to purchase tickets from Ticketek, or to walk into the Orange Civic Theatre and buy tickets, in person, from theatre staff.”

Tickets sold through Ticketek for the show on February 12, are $89.90 with a $6.95 booking fee, for a total of $96.85 but children under the age of 13 can enter for free.

“This is a wonderful family-friendly event that the council is pleased to be able to contribute to,” Cr Davis.

“This live music event is another string to the bow of promotion for our city. Coupled with the recent announcement of the Sydney Thunder BBL games, here at Wade Park, we have some fantastic opportunities to showcase the region.”

The official Surf and Soul website suggests the initial price is an early bird release deal and tickets could increase.

Guests can bring a deck chair and a picnic blanket and can bring their own picnic food and non-alcoholic drinks.

Alcohol should not be brought to the site but beer and wine will be available to buy along with non-alcoholic drinks and local food stalls will be set up.

Tickets can be purchased through Ticketek via this link.

* If you liked this article then click here for more the Beach Boys news.

GOOD VIBRATIONS: Christine Nightingale is one of the Orange Civic Theatre staff happy t help people with all Ticketek purchases.

WAVE PARK: Orange Mayor John Davis is pleased to announce Wade Park will host the Beach Boy and Temptations on February 12.

Orange City Council’s Youth Action Council (YAC) is hosting a free halloween disco and haunted tunnel for young people from all walks of life.

The event called Cruelty Crawl Asylum is organized by YAC members, Shania Farnsworth and Amber Crawford, and is aimed at giving young people in Orange something to do on a Friday night but also an opportunity to make new friends.

Year 11 student Shania Farnsworth said she had trouble making new friends and so wanted to help others in similar situations.

“Everybody needs friends,” she said.

“This is for all kids, aged from infants to high school and everyone is welcome to come.

“I thought this would be a great opportunity to meet people with similar interests and meet people outside of the school environment.”

Shania said her involvement in YAC had changed her outlook on life for the better and she had meet some inspirational role models and new friends.

Amber said she had been "dragged" along to the first meeting by her mother but had since developed a passion for YAC and was grateful she had been given the opportunity to participate.

"I just love it," she said.

"All of it."

Her mother, Tracy Townsend, said she had noticed her daughter's confidence improve after a few sessions at the youth council.

"It's been great for her organisational skills also and it looks good on a resume," she said.

The Youth Action Council meets once or twice a month, after school, and includes young people aged up to 25 years old. The team come up with ways to improve Orange for its youth.

The Cruelty Crawl Asylum on Friday night has staggered starts so the infants children can have a great time at their own pace and don’t have to worry about the older kids.

Infants and primary school-aged children are encouraged to come along to the PCYC in Byng Street from 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm while high school aged children are encouraged to come along from 9pm until 10.30pm.

The girls wanted to thank the PCYC management for allowing them to use its space and for opening the canteen during the event so guests can buy food and drink.

The event is drug and alcohol free.

For information regarding the Youth Action Council contact youth Development Officer Katrina Hausia at khausia@orange.nsw.gov.au

HALLOWEEN: Youth Action Council members Amber Crawford and Shania Farnsworth are busy preparing for the firs Cruelty Crawl Asylum, free halloween disco.

CONNECTED: Most home and businesses across Oraneg will be connected to the nbn in the coming weeks.

Orange's Muslim community is inviting residents to an open day at its mosque and members are happy to answers any questions regarding their faith.

Here's some answers to a few basic questions you might want to know ahead of the open day on October 29.

1. Should visiting women make any special changes to their dress to enter the mosque, for example should they cover their hair or wear long sleeves?

Visiting women do not need to make any special changes to their dress to enter the mosque.

But the Orange mosque is like any other place of worship and it is expected people dress respectfully.

2.Will I have to take my shoes off when I visit the mosque?

Muslims sit, pray, kneel and prostrate on the floor at the mosque so it is appropriate visitors remove their shoes while inside the building.

3. Can I shake the hand of a Muslim who is of the opposite gender?

Yes, you can offer to shake the hand of a Muslim of the opposite gender.

But, depending on the cultural background and interpretation of the teachings of Islam, most Muslims prefer not to shake hands with an opposite sex whom they are not closely related.

4. What’s the go with the five clocks on the wall?

The five clocks on the wall show daily prayer times. The one in the centre is functional, and the rest are stationary.

Prayer times change throughout a calendar year due to variations in the rising and setting of the sun. The five daily prayer times are adjusted accordingly.

5..Will it be OK if I stand up the back and watch during the 1.30 prayers? Can I take photos?

Yes, you can watch and take photos or you can join in prayers if you'd like.

FAN: Orange Sydney Thunder fan Alex Wiegold can't wait to see his favourite team play at Wade Park

WELCOME Orange community leaders showed their support for the opening of the new mosque in November last year.