2024 ANNUAL REPORT

15 COMMUNITY REPORT Patrick has taken his ACE cricket sessions to 12 schools across Nottingham this year, also forming links with two community youth clubs to allow those from deprived areas and non-cricketing back- grounds to experience the game. In total, he engaged with more than 900 young people in 2024. We have also been proud to strengthen our relationship with the Nottinghamshire LGBTQ+ cricket supporters’ group,The OUTlaws. In July this year, the playing staff of both Nottinghamshire andThe Blaze took part in the Rainbow Laces campaign. Ahead of theirVitality Blast fixture against Birmingham Bears at Trent Bridge, members of the Outlaws squad donned rainbow t-shirts in their warm-up as the ground was splashed in a rainbow of colours in allyship. Playing host to the LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Cricket Conference was another significant milestone as we shared our experiences of how we supported the group, and outlined our future plans for aiding inclusion. Elsewhere, we have continued to offer cricket to those of all back- grounds and abilities this year. We were delighted to see 20 SEND [Special Educational Needs and Disabilities] schools engaged in table cricket and softball cricket this year, with 30 young leaders trained to support table cricket festivals. In 2024, 68 young people attended our four Super1s hubs, where 17 life skills workshops were delivered to help young people with special educa- tional needs or disabilities become equipped with practical skills. TheWicketz programme, which provides an accessible cricket offering and mentoring for children from disadvantaged communities, engaged 78 young people across four hubs, including a brand-new hub launched in Clifton.Young people were also given the chance to experience competitive cricket at Wicketz festivals, of which we held six in 2024, in addition to an East Midlands regional festival atWest Park. Junior cricket continues to expand, too, as we move towards a new competitive structure under the new banner of Nottinghamshire Junior Cricket – with four junior leagues replaced by one governing committee to reduce the volunteer burden and allow us to deliver more central support. We are committed to growing the game by providing more options for children to play and stay in the sport; for example, the new county- wide league will offer formats that will facilitate transition from softball to hardball formats, thereby helping to retain players. Meanwhile, schools are a crucial touchpoint in our delivery of cricket. More than 17,600 children in 80 schools have played cricket this year through Chance to Shine.The All Stars and Dynamos programmes engaged more than 1,500 children, including over 400 girls, outside of school hours, with sessions delivered alongside local clubs to provide the perfect setting to develop skills and build friendships. 710 young people also took part in our own coaching programme, Junior Outlaws, across winter evenings and school holidays. We have relished the chance to useTrent Bridge to inspire young people. 2,250 children took part in Dynamos cricket festivals across the county, including the first ever regional Dynamos school festival and a girls’ schools finals day held at Trent Bridge, which would not have been possible without the dedication shown by the 96 young leaders who had been trained to support such events. Kwik Cricket remains highly popular, with 139 teams (including “AHEAD OF THEIR VITALITY BLAST FIXTURE AGAINST BIRMINGHAM BEARS AT TRENT BRIDGE, MEMBERS OF THE OUTLAWS SQUAD DONNED RAINBOW T-SHIRTS IN THEIRWARM-UP AS THE GROUND WAS SPLASHED IN A RAINBOWOF COLOURS IN ALLYSHIP.” Mandy Wright