Chance to Shine has had a great impact at Taxal & Fernilee Primary School, particularly in terms of encouraging children to transition to clubs outside of school. Tom Coxhead, who leads the sessions at the school, says: “We get a lot of children coming to the after-school clubs, and a lot of them go on to play at their local cricket clubs.”

Nathan is one such child who has tried out at a nearby club, with great success. “I played my first game for the under 13s and I took a wicket and was man of the match. I hope one day to play professionally!”

New players like Nathan are demonstrating to local teams the value of the work Chance to Shine does. “Clubs are starting to really see that the Chance to Shine Programme works,” says Coxhead. “Maybe they were a bit sceptical a few years ago, but now they are seeing the benefit.”

Head of PE Sue Lonsdale has noticed that it’s not just the kids’ cricket skills that are improving, but that they are also developing in ways that will benefit them away from the playing field: “On the social side, they learn to work together as a team and foster that team spirit.”

Watch the Taxal & Fernilee story here:

Perhaps most importantly of all, the children are enjoying the new sport they’ve discovered. Freya, a pupil at the school, describes cricket as “really fun”, and has especially enjoyed the sessions because “you get taught loads of things”. 

The children are loving playing cricket, the teachers are glad to see them learn valuable life skills, and local clubs are thriving thanks to their new members.