In 2018, I joined the women's side of my local cricket club, Streatham and Marlborough (SMCC).
I was just starting out as a freelancer and I found myself really missing being part of a team - thankfully I found a lovely group of teammates and friends at the club.
In spite of the fact that I was a 41-year-old American who'd never played cricket before, they welcomed me with open arms and cricket is now a big feature of my life.
It has been fun to keep learning, to be part of a team, and to defy any nay-sayers who think that age is a barrier to doing new things.
Our club is a vibrant part of the cricket community in London. We have a huge women's and girls' section of our club, and our Club Chair is a woman - one of very few women to hold this leadership position at crickets clubs in the UK. I'm always incredibly inspired by the work of all the volunteers, players (younger and older), parents, supporters, and people who make our local club work so well.
We have the most the beautiful corner location in SE London - right in the heart of a bustling urban area but bordered by woods so it's seems you are in a small village cricket green surrounded by trees and big skies.
On the downside, our clubhouse is falling down and really in need of help - without efforts to rebuild the pavilion, the future of the club is under threat. That is why I'm fundraising, to raise money for the pavilion fund.
I'd love to give back to this club which has given me so much, so I appreciate your support in advance!
As for why skydiving, I got offered a voucher by a generous friend so have decided to use it as an opportunity to raise some money through sponsorship. It will happen on Thursday, July 11th in Devon - hoping for good weather and calm skies! I have done indoor skydiving once before but this feels like a rather different thing!
Thank you for advance! I will post photos on how it goes.