Cricket East Huntingdon & Peterborough-Diverse Communities Projects: 2023 Activities-
‘Raising The Game’ Case Study
It is estimated the total reach of all the work in this case study at this time has influenced 500-600 people
Introduction:
Cricket East Diverse Communities projects across the City of Peterborough and a northern
neighbourhood in the town of Huntingdon again focused activity on delivery in some of the highest
national deprivation indices areas (1-3) which also have a high prevalence of free school meals.
There was community cricket sessions in partnership with the organisations listed later in this
document, a number of which were receiving more widely, either locally based or Government
Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) funding support. The strong focus on police officers/staff attending
was also really very encouraging.
This piece of work strives to ensure Cricket East and its listed collaborating partners support its
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion work including opening up access to cross game pathway
opportunities for all ethnicities including state school children and those with special educational
needs.
Some of the safe space activities included: ECB Dynamos ‘Intros’ programmes in Hindu/Nepalese
communities activities that had a real focus on high indices areas (8-11 year olds), a partnership with Lords Taverners Wicketz programme-including developing a girls only hub, joint activities with Pboro Utd FC Community Manager, girls links at both the Iqra Academy & Thomas Deacon Academy,
Central Park community taster and match activity that included youngsters coming over from
Queens Park in Bedford for competitive activities (again including a link to Lords Taverners Wicketz).Barnardos charity activity included HAF engagement with the visit of 50 youngsters (including participants from the Traveller community) to Peterborough City Sports Club attended by the city’s Mayor Nick Sandford (see more below).
We have worked closely with Peterborough Youth Council, with their representative Aryan Nahata
14 years of age, supporting a range of local community activities gaining crucial feedback on
youngsters views ensuring they have a chance to influence opportunities. The Youth Councils main
objective is: ‘Be a voice for the Young People in Peterborough and to represent their views to decision makers within Peterborough City Council and other agencies. Promote and encourage activities, events and opportunities for young people from Peterborough’.
Aryan has volunteered and worked directly with the Diverse Communities Officer across many of
these activities and as a result has been recognised for this volunteering work by Cricket East with a Rising Star Award (subject to a separate dedicated case study).
This has included the Joint Mosque Council Peterborough Community Cup event which raised in the
region of £1,000 in support of the Pancreatic Cancer UK charity. The game involved a number of
participating city teenagers and attendees included the Deputy Crime Commissioner John Peach.
Our work has included a dialogue with the Chief Executive and Leader of Council and the cities MP.
Nik Johnson the Combined Authority Mayor has also been briefed on all our activities.
A video including the Mayor and Youth Council representative further evidenced this collaborative
approach: https://t.co/BWN0IwGb34
We have also run a whole programme of inclusive cricket at 2 Heltwate Special Educational Needs
sites in Peterborough delivering to over 60 youngsters +additionally partner Festivals at St Ivo Indoor Centre and Jack Hunt Secondary School Peterborough.
Pboro groups engaged included links developed directly with Peterborough Town and Hampton
Cricket Clubs:
Peterborough Youth Council/Hindu Temple & Nepalese Community-Westwood Centre
Central Park inc. Lithuanian Community
Gunthorpe Barnardos ‘Play-House’ HAF Easter & Summer/Peterborough Town Sports Club
Paston Farm Foundation Summer Holiday Programme
Huntingdon groups engaged included links developed directly with Huntingdon & District Cricket
Club:
Thongsley Fields after school sessions all year round that linked to the nearby Coneygear Community
Centre Snack Shack Easter & Summer HAF. The HAF provided direct support to under-served
communities, this included the presence of representatives of Anglian Water to give direct advice to
parents in attendance on how bills could be reduced and also, for a second year running, partners
supplying free school shoes to youngsters as a new term approached.
Work continues with local Councillors to link the above activities with Huntingdon & District CC to
support re-establishing their youth section in the future along with the Town Council backing a
significant community pavilion re-build proposal. Volunteers locally placed have been identified to
attend coaching courses later this year to support the youth.
Corroborating evidence linked to community intelligence was again forthcoming, similar to that
received last year, this is best summarised as:
>1. Families have found it difficult to travel to activities too far beyond their immediate local
neighbourhoods.
>2. The HAF schemes provided families with access to free food at one of their most vulnerable
times complimented by other sport and leisure activities with key partner involvement.
>3. Sessions often provided a focus for young people over the holiday periods in terms of keeping
them engaged in outdoor basic physical activity providing/supporting also a mental health focus.
Many thrive in these open spaced/relaxed environments expressing themselves, rather than
struggling/feeling under pressure in classroom environments.
Cricket also offers access to supporting the following skills: keeping their own batting scores and
working with others they perhaps have never met before and then have to make decisions in terms of
e.g developing running between the wicket in batting partnerships. This is seen as a practical
opportunity to build confidence, self-esteem in a smaller numbered environment and can perhaps
hopefully seek to compliment a more formal educational setting.
Current main funders:
Lords Taverners (Wicketz Programme-Pboro), Cambs Police and Crime Commissioner Youth Fund,
English Cricket Board
Specific Strategic Partners involved in Pboro include:
Council Chief Executive and Leader, Member of Parliament, Anglia Ruskin University, Pboro United
Community Foundation, Barnardos, Paston Farm Foundation, Huntingdonshire County Cricket Club,
National Asian Cricket Council, Peterborough City Council (inc. Social Mobility/Cohesion lead), Lords Taverners, Cambridgeshire Police and its Crime Commissioners Office, CSP Living Sport,
Peterborough Youth Council, Peterborough Regional College, The Mayors Office and local
Councillors, English Cricket Board, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Mayor,
Heltwate & Heltwate St Georges SEND Schools, Gladstone Primary Academy, Iqra Girls Academy and
Thomas Deacon Academy
Specific Strategic Partners involved in Huntingdon include:
Chance2Shine charity, Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridgeshire Police Crime Commissioners
Office, Community Development Manager Huntingdonshire Child and Family Centres, Fusion Youth
Group, Huntingdonshire District Council Sports Development Team, Huntingdonshire County Cricket
Club, CSP Living Sport, National Cricket Club Conference, Town Council and local Councillors, English Cricket Board, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Mayor.
Pboro Heltwate SEND School Feedback 2023>>
Sally Morton Higher Level Teaching Assistant Speech and Language Lead:
The students really enjoyed PE with you yesterday. Every day at the end of the day, we have
reflection time called Daily Star. They have to talk and write about their best part of the day. Nearly all of them choose PE with Dave!
Hindu Temple Dynamos ‘Intros’ Feedback 2023>>
Kishor Ladwa President Bharat Hindu Samaj Peterborough:
The coaching at Bharat Hindu Samaj Community Centre Peterborough has been very useful and
beneficial to our young boys & girls. I was at the coaching session and was very impressed by the
way you coach the kids. The kids were all keen to learn and hopefully few will move on to be good
cricketers. Thank you for your time and affect.
We would like to continue these sessions in future and any other coaching in winter. We can use the
community centre indoors.
Nepalese Community Dynamos ‘Intros’ Feedback 2023>>
Keshab Khatiwada President Peterborough Nepalese Society
The community was absolutely thrilled, I was so happy with the way you supported our kids and the
impression you left was amazing. Thank you for your time and we hope to do more with you in the
near future.
Nepalese Community Dynamos ‘Intros’ Programme Summer 2023>>
Lena Sharma 13 years participant feedback:
Whilst participating in the activity, I had got more of an understanding of the game. I had also felt
like I could become a bowler in future. I have enjoyed every moment of my time at the camp. The
life skills I have developed are mainly decision making and my confidence, examples of this are:
deciding where to place the ball and my confidence in catching the ball. I will definitely be up to
participating in more cricket, I would like to see more competitive games being added to future
activities. Speaking to Arthur the RAF Officer, has given me a future pathway plan or career in the
RAF. It has showed me many opportunities that I could do with my sports background. A job that he
had mentioned was a Physical Training Instructor that I would be up to do.
Non-Traditional Settings-Huntingdon projects (participant photo consent reduced the numbers
pictured):
Coneygear HAF Photos
Non-Traditional Settings-Peterborough projects (participant photo consent reduced the numbers
pictured):
Gladstone Academy sessions & Nepalese Community Programme Activity
Nepalese Programme group picture
PTCC had 50 Barnardos HAF visitors-with Mayor PCSO Puthenpurayil @ Hindu Temple Programme
Dave Summers
Cricket East Diverse Communities Officer
Oct 2023
dave.summers@cricketeast.co.uk