Cricket is a unifying force for good in a socially and culturally diverse county, and engenders a source of immense and shared pride in Yorkshire folk. However, over 70,000 people are living with dementia in Yorkshire and The Humber, and there are many more suffering social isolation, loneliness and exclusion.
Our venture is about so much more than cricket - its aim is to harness the power and relevance of local cricket heritage held by clubs, helping and equipping them with the skills to uncover, preserve and celebrate this valuable resource, and, most importantly, and to use this to create educational and reminiscence programmes to reach out all who live in the communities they serve.
Many of these clubs represent the oldest examples of 'living heritage' in their vicinity and have some fantastic stories to tell, as a result. This project will help to reposition these clubs at the heart of, and to support, their communities whilst creating a bridge with between the county club and the local communities throughout Yorkshire.
In the past year, the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation has developed a range of educational resources for free use in local schools, and our developing and well-attended `reminiscence sessions’ evoking memories of strong emotions to benefit people living with dementia, depression and loneliness, generating significant health and social benefits for families and communities in the process; combatting social isolation, building new friendships; and re-connecting the young and old alike with their local cricket clubs.
The appetite for this is strong but, unfortunately, the resources we have to maintain and develop these activities, is very limited - this is where you come in!
Through your generous support we want to play an active part in using the power of community heritage to fight these social ills in our county.