Online hubs to help stay active at home
Thousands of disadvantaged and disabled young people can now remain active in their homes thanks to the launch of a series of new online hubs to support the well-being of participants on the three Lord’s Taverners national cricket programmes.
During these unprecedented times and with the community and disability cricket programmes run by the charity currently suspended due to COVID-19, we have launched a series of home-based activities to increase physical activity and help with mental wellbeing during this time.
In 2019 alone, more than 10,000 young people living with a disability participated in Super 1s and Table Cricket and for many, it is their only sporting activity. But the suspension of these life-changing sessions, which tackle issues such as isolation and inactivity, means many are unable to maintain the confidence, independence and social skills that being part of the programme helps to improve.
However, working closely with county cricket boards across the country, the charity has been working hard to engage with participants and their parents/carers to replace their regular weekly cricket activity with exercises, challenges and tasks they can do from the safety of their own home.
Each programme now has a bespoke hub on the Lord’s Taverners website with activity catered to the needs of participants. So far tasks include a way to set up a game of table cricket from home, the bat tap challenge and a special written task set by BBC Test Match Special commentator, Dan Norcross. A new task or challenge will be set for participants on each programme every week.
There are also a number of other useful links included on each hub, especially surrounding mental health, with advice on how best to keep both your body and mind active while regular weekly routines have been disrupted, and informing parents and participants where you can get extra support if needed.
Karen, Mum of Bexley Super 1s participant, Lewis Williams, said: “Young people like my son Lewis normally have limited access to a group that accept each other without judgment and he has been missing his once weekly catch up, social and practice. For this reason I think the activity booklet is a wonderful idea, not only giving our youngsters the incentive to find a constructive activity but also a way of reconnecting them with their friends.”
Lord’s Taverners Head of Cricket Programmes, Henry Hazlewood, said: “It is so important to continue providing opportunities for participants to keep active and stimulated during this testing time with weekly sessions currently being suspended. Through our programmes, so many of our participants value being part of a community hub or a friendship group and with the online hubs we hope to not only keep participants engaged, but also maintain that important connection.”
For more information, please get in touch: contact@lordstaverners.org
To view the three online hubs please follow the below links: