Community cricket project bowled over by Government’s £50K pledge
Sussex Cricket in the Community gets government funding to help develop social inclusion projects
Sussex Cricket in the Community is to benefit from a £50,000 boost from the Government to help increase social inclusion, Culture Secretary Sajid Javid announced today.
The areas of Brighton & Hove and Crawley will receive the investment in a bid to increase community cohesion and bring together people from diverse backgrounds through sport for social good.
This pledge, made by Sajid Javid MP during a visit to the BrightonandHoveJobs.com County Ground, Hove, follows Sussex County Cricket Club and Sussex Cricket Board joining forces to create Sussex Cricket in the Community, a project which uses cricket to “build better futures and stronger communities, using the power of cricket.”
Participation programmes in Crawley will use the unique reach of cricket to help further integrate the diverse communities of Crawley.
In Whitehawk and Moulsecoomb in Brighton, a cricket format known as ‘Street20’ will be used to engage young people, with an emphasis on education and health.
Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said:
Sport is a great way to bring people who share an interest and passion together.
Cricket, in particular, appeals to people from all sorts of backgrounds and can help us build stronger communities all around the country. This government funding will build on the great work Sussex already do with their cricket in the community programme and will help them achieve even more.
Tim Shutt, Head of Sussex Cricket in the Community said:
This investment from the DCMS will enable us to run cricket in different ways in different communities with the clear purpose that this is cricket for social good rather than just cricket for cricket’s sake.
We are very excited by what can be achieved working in partnership with those that live and work in these communities. We are also very grateful to our national governing body, the ECB, who have supplemented this investment to ensure that an essential cricket facility can be installed in the heart of Crawley.
Clare Connor, ECB’s Head of Women’s Cricket said
Coming from Sussex and being a former Sussex cricketer myself, I am excited by the news that the DCMS has invested £50,000 into supporting ‘Sussex in the Community’. This investment will help develop community cricket programmes in Brighton, Hove and Crawley.
ECB is delighted to financially support the initiative by ensuring the necessary facilities are established in areas which really allow us to engage with young people. It was an honour to be a part of today’s launch. We’d like to thank Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State, for coming to Hove to give his support and we’d like to credit Sussex cricket for their years of hard work in building a strong community through the power of cricket.
Javid also visited the Amex Stadium during his Sussex visit, where he saw some of the excellent community work of Brighton and Hove Albion.
His day in Sussex also took in a trip to Lewes, to see how a local development project is enhancing the careers of female entrepreneurs through technology.