Our first Cricket & Connections brought businesses, supporters and friends of Inspire together at Orwell Park School for an afternoon of cricket, conversation and support for young people across Suffolk.
Two teams took to the pitch for some friendly competition, with Ellisons taking the honours, while guests joined us on the side lines for networking, refreshments and a chance to find out more about Inspire and the young people at the heart of our work.
The event was made possible with the support of our title sponsors Ellisons and StrategiQ, alongside Orwell Park School and Cafe Flex, helping us make our first Cricket & Connections completely free to attend.
But one of the most important people there wasn’t playing cricket at all.
A full-circle moment for Ruben
Our guest of honour for the afternoon was 13-year-old Ruben, and his connection to Inspire made the day particularly special.
Ruben first came to Inspire through our Holiday Clubs a few years ago, at a time when life had taken him away from mainstream education.
He remembers the people just as much as the activities. The way our Holiday Club staff welcomed him, treated him with respect and gave him a place where he felt comfortable made a real impression. It helped him build his confidence and became one part of his journey back into mainstream schooling.
He later joined Orwell Park School and, when the school was considering its Charity of the Year, it was Ruben who first suggested Inspire.
That suggestion helped begin a relationship which eventually brought us all together at Orwell Park for Cricket & Connections.
So having Ruben there as our guest of honour felt particularly special. A young person who had once come along to an Inspire Holiday Club was now standing alongside us at an event he had, without necessarily realising it, helped set in motion.
More than a day of cricket
When we first planned Cricket & Connections, we wanted to create something that brought Suffolk businesses together in a relaxed way, while starting conversations about how our local business community can get behind young people.
And that’s exactly what happened.
Across the afternoon, people met, talked, made new connections and learned more about the work happening across Inspire.
Because support from businesses doesn’t only mean fundraising. It can mean opening up workplaces, offering experience and opportunities, sharing skills and expertise, supporting events or using their networks to help young people see what might be possible for them.
Cricket & Connections was a chance to bring some of those people together, start new conversations and celebrate the support already being given to young people across Suffolk.
Introducing our Young People’s Champions
The afternoon also marked the official launch of Young People’s Champion, our new way for individuals, businesses and organisations to stand alongside young people in Suffolk.
Young People’s Champions pledge a minimum of £500 each year to support Inspire’s work, helping fund the services, opportunities and trusted adults that young people can turn to when they need them.
We were delighted to mark the launch by making our Cricket & Connections title sponsors, Ellisons and StrategiQ, Young People’s Champions, recognising the support they’ve already given to Inspire and young people in Suffolk.
And there couldn’t have been a more fitting day to launch it.
Ruben’s story is a reminder that you don’t always know where an opportunity will lead.
A few years ago, it was a place at an Inspire Holiday Club, with people who made him feel welcome and helped him build his confidence.
This week, it was Ruben standing as our guest of honour at Orwell Park School, having played his own part in bringing Inspire and the school together.
That’s what Young People’s Champion is about. Helping make sure more young people have access to the people, places and opportunities that can make a difference, whatever comes next.
Thank you
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our first Cricket & Connections, whether you picked up a bat, joined us from the sidelines or came along to find out more about Inspire.
Special thanks go to Ellisons and StrategiQ, our title sponsors and Young People’s Champions, and to Orwell Park School and Cafe Flex for helping us bring the afternoon together. And a big thank you to Ruby for providing the live music and soundtrack to the afternoon, and to Warren for the always fabulous photography.
And, of course, thank you to Ruben for joining us as our guest of honour and for starting a chain of events that helped make the day possible in the first place.
One young person’s positive experience with Inspire helped start a new relationship. That relationship brought businesses together. And those businesses now have the opportunity to help us create more positive experiences for young people across Suffolk.
We believe in youth. And we’re very glad to have so many people standing alongside us who do too.
Become a Young People’s Champion
Want to help create more opportunities for young people like Ruben?
Find out more about becoming a Young People’s Champion and how your support can make a difference to young people across Suffolk.
Visit the Young People’s Champion page here
