Chance to Shine Impact Report 2020 published
Chance to Shine has today (27 May) published its Impact Report 2020, detailing the work of the charity in the previous Academic Year. During that period, the charity gave over 600,000 children, in one in four state schools across the country, the opportunity to play, learn and develop through cricket.
The Impact Report includes analysis of the Chance to Shine programmes in schools and through the Chance to Shine Street cricket programme. The report documents the results of surveys of 1,298 teachers, 3,547 School participants and 1,147 Street cricketers assessing different elements of the programme in order to help the charity understand and improve the impact it has.
Click here to read the full report
The report also features ten case study stories of children, schools and clubs that have benefitted through the charity’s work. This includes the story of Street cricketer Bashir, who arrived in the UK having fled his native Afghanistan, fearing for his life. Despite speaking no English when he arrived, Bashir soon joined a Street project and his confidence and language skills have flourished. Bashir now supports by coaching younger participants on the programme and in the words of his mentor Mick Piggott: “He’s now got a life beyond cricket but that life came from cricket.” Bashir’s story was recently featured on the Sky Sports Cricket Show.
Chance to Shine work to create opportunities for children and young people to play cricket, many of whom are experiencing the sport for the very first time. This includes offering free coaching to 5,100 state Primary and SEN schools, 91 Secondary Schools and over 200 ‘Street’ cricket projects that run in urban and disadvantaged communities.
In a survey of over 3,500 children, 90% said they ‘had fun’ in their sessions with two thirds saying that they ‘had or would like to play more cricket outside school’. Through playing cricket, children’s physical wellbeing is supported and in a survey of just under 1,300 teachers, 86% agreed that Chance to Shine sessions supported those children who were less likely to be physically active. Of Chance to Shine Street cricketers, three quarters who joined projects in 2019 were not members of any sports club outside of school and 92% of those surveyed said that they felt more physically active having attended the programme.
As well as children’s physical wellbeing, Chance to Shine sessions focus on supporting children’s mental, social and personal wellbeing as well; developing valuable skills like confidence, teamwork and resilience. Four fifths of teachers noted that pupils had developed their confidence or teamwork skills through taking part in Chance to Shine sessions.
In Spring 2019, Chance to Shine launched a pilot programme in Secondary Schools, aimed at developing leadership skills amongst teenage girls. An independent evaluation of the programme by the Centre for Sport, Physical Education and Activity Research (spear) at Canterbury Christ Church University showed that there had been statistically significant increases in the girls’ confidence, resilience and adaptability skills.
Chance to Shine also focuses on supporting young people to continue playing cricket outside of their Chance to Shine sessions in schools. This is done in partnership with local community cricket opportunities, including traditional cricket clubs, the ECB’s All Stars Cricket centres and Chance to Shine Street programmes.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the charity has focussed on supporting parents and teachers to keep children active through online sessions that are adapted to take place in the home with limited space or equipment.
The charity is supported by key funding partners the England & Wales Cricket Board, Sport England, NatWest and Yorkshire Tea. All of whom have continued to support the charity during the current difficult circumstances.
Chief Executive Laura Cordingley said “We’re immensely proud of everything that is documented in our latest Impact Report. It shows the incredible work that goes on in schools and communities up and down the country when we can deliver our programmes.
I would like to thank all our amazing supporters, whose generosity allows us to have such a positive impact on the young people we work with. We are also indebted to our delivery partners and their inspiring coaches who make the charity such a success.”
With the charity facing difficult financial times as a result of the cancellation of many of its fundraising events, Charity Patron Adrian Beecroft is matching donations made this summer. Support today at chancetoshine.org/donate.
