Shining the Light.
Clare Sanderson has grown up living and breathing cricket. Her uncle was steward at Headingley, and her Mum took her to test matches as a child. She’s cricket mad. But until 2017 – her involvement was as a spectator.
“I got struck with the desire to do something meaningful, and went to Uganda with ‘Cricket without Boundaries’. The organisation uses cricket to share positive social messaging with disadvantaged communities. It was the first time I’d been involved in coaching and playing and I had the most amazing time.”
In Uganda, Clare found herself working with 3 other coaches and 250 children! She loved every minute. When Clare returned to Leeds, she wanted to put her good work into practice and succeeded in gaining funding for a Chance to Shine Street project. This was launched in the heart of the South Asian community. It began with 5 girls, in a school hall, then progressed to the Bilal centre in Harehills, which Clare describes as a basic, but fantastic facility. By September 2019 the group had grown to 25 girls, and is still going strong with around 30 girls attending every Saturday.
Clare’s aim has been to build a safe space for the girls to express themselves through cricket.
“It’s never been about the girls being absolutely fantastic cricketers. It’s about giving them the chance to come to a centre, where they are safe, where they can turn up and play, they don’t need money, kit or equipment."
Steve Archer, Head of Region for West Yorkshire at Yorkshire Cricket Board was involved in the bid for funding at the time:
“It was obvious when meeting Clare for the first time of her passion and enthusiasm for cricket and in particular a chance for those who had less opportunity to participate to be given that opportunity. The project has gone from strength to strength and all involved should be hugely proud of their ongoing contributions in delivering, supporting and participating in such a worthy initiative.”
The ‘Heera Ranis’ project earned Clare a Chance to Shine award, and their wonderful name was chosen by the girls and their Mums. ‘Heera’ means ‘Diamond’ in Sanskrit, and ‘Ranis’ means ‘Queens’, so ‘Heera Ranis’ it is, giving the group a unique identity.
Clare says volunteering has changed her life, and it seems that by driving these projects, she has changed the lives of many others too.
Story by Katie Stewart
k.stewart@yorkshirecb.com
@katieycb
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