2020 ANNUAL REPORT

17 COMMUNITY REPORT logging on to help us celebrate the phenomenal efforts of volunteers across the county. We also shared inspiring stories of women and girls from across the cricketing world – from rising stars and volunteers to the likes of former England cricketer Lydia Greenway andTrent Rockets Head Coach Salliann Briggs – to markWomen’s Cricket Month. It has been a year which has taught us that no barrier is insurmountable, no challenge cannot be overcome.That is a lesson which can only help us as we forge ahead into 2021. Meanwhile, the work of the Trent Bridge Community Trust was more important than ever in such a disrupted year. When lockdown first commenced, the Trust took some time to reflect on how they could adapt to deliver support in a Covid world. It was quickly clear that schools were in desperate need of the support of the Positive Futures programme. A lot of young people, whilst saying they were okay, simply weren’t.While they may have been putting on a brave face, they were actually having a really tough time. A particular concern shared by parents in those early weeks of lockdown was the difficulty of keeping their children indoors. It was, therefore, important that the Trust communicated to these young people the importance of meeting up with friends virtually, rather than in person, in order to keep themselves and their families safe. TheTrust also devised and delivered digital workshops on resilience and identifying triggers for low mental health. One of the biggest challenges these workshops posed was just how many young people didn’t feel comfortable being on video calls in groups.This triggered a successful move towards offering one-to-one sessions, and workshops in friend- ship groups. In August, a scaled-down summer programme commenced.The Trust delivered sports sessions in local communities, open for all to attend and watch in their family groups. It was great to see families doing things together. From September, the Positive Futures programme was able to recommence in schools. Schools were really keen to get the Trust back on site to deliver workshops, and the face-to-face interaction that young people craved.This did, of course, mean a number of adaptations and precautions needed to be taken – the use of large spaces and outdoor settings was crucial. The Healthy Hearts initiative also adapted admirably to the pandemic. Having educated almost 1,000 primary school children about the importance of a healthy lifestyle between January and March, the programme moved online as soon as lockdown commenced.The six- week scheme continued to be delivered via Zoom to schools across the county. Elsewhere, having won two awards last year, including the Health and Wellbeing award at the Celebrating Rushcliffe Awards, the Forget Me Notts initiative for individuals with dementia was set for big things this year. At the start of the year, a number of key sports clubs and businesses in Nottinghamshire had pledged their continuing support of the initiative: Edwalton Golf Club, Nottingham Forest, Notts County, Nottingham Rugby Club and National Ice Centre. There was, and still is, a will to make Forget Me Notts even bigger and better. Lockdown meant that the usual sessions ran as part of the project had to cease. Even when restrictions were eased, the fact that so many service users were deemed to be high-risk meant that face-to-face sessions were unable to resume. Instead, fortnightly catch ups and quizzes were hosted on Zoom, with “IT WAS QUICKLY CLEAR THAT SCHOOLS WERE IN DESPERATE NEED OF THE SUPPORT OF THE POSITIVE FUTURES PROGRAMME. A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE, WHILST SAYING THEY WERE OKAY, SIMPLY WEREN’T.” Tim Eatherington