receive Duke of York's Community Initiative.
On the 19th April representatives from Mount CC together with senior colleagues from Yorkshire Cricket: Andrew Watson, Executive Director of Yorkshire Cricket Board and the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB); Matt Dwyer, Director of Growth & Participation and John Wright, Business Support Manager attended an awards ceremony at Huddersfield University where the Club received a prestigious accolade from HRH The Duke of York.
Presenting the award the Initiative’s assessors commented that:
Mount CC has been running community cricket for over 38 years. The increasing range of opportunities offered by the Club is immense; from junior cricket for boys and girls to having teams at U13 (Heavy Woollen – Martin Stubbs West Division), U15 (Bradford Junior Cricket League) and three senior teams (two in Huddersfield Central Cricket League) and (1 in Mid Yorkshire Central Cricket League) to being the first Asian team to establish genuine cricket opportunities for South Asian girls as well as for children with disabilities, particularly Down Syndrome. Unlike other clubs Mount has also demonstrated that it is involving itself with wider community activities and creating added value in the following ways:
• Healthy living and physical excellence in cricket within a safe and caring environment
• Charity work and helping the less fortunate
• Address loneliness and engagement
• Link in with the life and vibrancy of the neighbourhood and Batley town
• Interfaith building – in 2015 it sent a team to Rome to play the Vatican side
• Challenge negative stereotypes and assumptions from the media and the general population towards Muslims and create positive community role models.
Mark A Arthur, Chief Executive Officer of Yorkshire County Cricket Club commented that:
“There are 778 cricket clubs in Yorkshire who are run by volunteers from within their communities for the benefit of their community. Mount CC is one of the shining lights within Yorkshire Cricket family because of the way in which they reach out and serve their community.
We are delighted that they have received the recognition from the Duke of York and the Club is most deserving of it”.
Matt Dwyer, Director of Participation & Growth at the ECB commented that:
“The ECB is proud to be associated with Mount CC whom we see as a key community partner in Yorkshire.
We believe that the award of this distinguished honour can only assist in taking an already wonderful community asset up to the next level as a showcase for inclusivity, sport and community in 21st Century Britain”
Abdul A Ravat from Mount CC who received the award from HRH Duke of York commented that:
“To receive the Duke of York’s Community Initiative award is a great honour, and we are all so very proud of this recognition and very appreciative that our friends from Yorkshire Cricket and ECB were with us to share in this good news.
The benefits of this award are considerable to a small club like ours in that it is: Royal recognition of excellence; it allows the use of a prestigious logo to enhance our fund raising credibility; it helps with the promotion of organisational pride and last but by no means least, if we were to need it the scheme offers award holders business management support through workshops, mentoring and networking”
To find out more about the Duke of York’s Community Initiative please go to www.thedukeofyorkscommunityinitiative.org.uk
For all media enquiries at Mount Cricket Club please contact:
Abdul A Ravat
Tel: 07919 361 266
Email: abdul.ravat@hotmail.co.uk