May 22, 2019
The Sussex Cricket Foundation held its 10th annual disability inclusion day – DIScoverABILITY Day – last week, and six of our leadership team went along to volunteer at the event.
Despite the grey, drizzly conditions at the 1ST CENTRAL County Ground in Hove, our volunteers joined over 400 children and young adults from local schools, colleges and day centres, 30 community organisations and 17 commercial partners for a fun-filled day.
The diverse range of activities were put together and run by an enthusiastic team of 12 Sussex Cricket coaches, eight county Disability Squad players and 50 business and community volunteers.
Participants made their way around the different activity zones, which included old favourites like the Sussex Cricket Foundation inflatables and Sid the Shark’s Big Hit Challenge. New additions included Albion in the Community, Brighton Table Tennis Club and Sussex Bears Wheelchair Basketball running adapted activities of their sports incorporating a cricket theme.
Our volunteers were on hand to help the participants with the various activities and spent much of their time collecting up the balls at the end of each session!
Andy James, our Chief Commercial Officer, who was one of the volunteers, said: “It was incredibly humbling and rewarding to be a part of DIScoverABILITY Day.
“As a company, First Central places great importance on giving back to the local communities where we work and empowering people to fulfil their potential. This approach is aligned to the Sussex Cricket Foundation’s aim of using the sport to enrich the lives of young people with disabilities, and it was great to see first-hand what an impact this can have.
“My personal highlight was seeing the look of achievement on people’s faces when they managed to knock all three balls off the stumps in one go.”
Sid the Shark was on hand again for numerous photo opportunities and proved as popular as ever, as did current Sussex squad members Ben Brown, Harry Finch, David Wiese, Tymal Mills, Stiaan Van Zyl, Danny Briggs, George Garton and Will Sheffield who – alongside their head coach, Jason Gillespie – all joined in the fun.
Reflecting on the day, Chris Coleman, Sussex Cricket’s Head of Community Cricket, said: “It’s been another superb DIScoverABILITY Day, and while it was more coat weather than shorts weather, there was no shortage of smiling faces. Seeing kids and young adults meeting some of the Sussex pros and Sid the Shark will live long in the memory.
“The day offers many of our corporate partners and their employees the opportunity to come down and see what the other side of Sussex Cricket does away from the first team. A great day and we all can’t wait for next year.”
We’ll be collaborating with the Sussex Cricket Foundation again next month, at this year’s South of England Show at Ardingly Showground from 6th to 8th June.
Take a look at the video from the day...
Photo credit: Sussex Cricket
Despite the grey, drizzly conditions at the 1ST CENTRAL County Ground in Hove, our volunteers joined over 400 children and young adults from local schools, colleges and day centres, 30 community organisations and 17 commercial partners for a fun-filled day.
The diverse range of activities were put together and run by an enthusiastic team of 12 Sussex Cricket coaches, eight county Disability Squad players and 50 business and community volunteers.
Participants made their way around the different activity zones, which included old favourites like the Sussex Cricket Foundation inflatables and Sid the Shark’s Big Hit Challenge. New additions included Albion in the Community, Brighton Table Tennis Club and Sussex Bears Wheelchair Basketball running adapted activities of their sports incorporating a cricket theme.
Our volunteers were on hand to help the participants with the various activities and spent much of their time collecting up the balls at the end of each session!
Andy James, our Chief Commercial Officer, who was one of the volunteers, said: “It was incredibly humbling and rewarding to be a part of DIScoverABILITY Day.
“As a company, First Central places great importance on giving back to the local communities where we work and empowering people to fulfil their potential. This approach is aligned to the Sussex Cricket Foundation’s aim of using the sport to enrich the lives of young people with disabilities, and it was great to see first-hand what an impact this can have.
“My personal highlight was seeing the look of achievement on people’s faces when they managed to knock all three balls off the stumps in one go.”
Sid the Shark was on hand again for numerous photo opportunities and proved as popular as ever, as did current Sussex squad members Ben Brown, Harry Finch, David Wiese, Tymal Mills, Stiaan Van Zyl, Danny Briggs, George Garton and Will Sheffield who – alongside their head coach, Jason Gillespie – all joined in the fun.
Reflecting on the day, Chris Coleman, Sussex Cricket’s Head of Community Cricket, said: “It’s been another superb DIScoverABILITY Day, and while it was more coat weather than shorts weather, there was no shortage of smiling faces. Seeing kids and young adults meeting some of the Sussex pros and Sid the Shark will live long in the memory.
“The day offers many of our corporate partners and their employees the opportunity to come down and see what the other side of Sussex Cricket does away from the first team. A great day and we all can’t wait for next year.”
We’ll be collaborating with the Sussex Cricket Foundation again next month, at this year’s South of England Show at Ardingly Showground from 6th to 8th June.
Take a look at the video from the day...
Photo credit: Sussex Cricket