2022 ANNUAL REPORT

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2022 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 20 competing priorities often forming an insurmountable barrier.This year, however, 40 referees have been trained by the charity in that age bracket, equipping them with life skills, a route via which to earn money and a pathway into football via Basford United and Education FC. Work to engage Nottingham’s black community, meanwhile, centred around a host of activities for young people during Black History Month.The likes of Nottingham- shire Police, the RAF, Nottingham City Homes and the UFC Gym staged activities showcasing career opportunities of astonishing breadth, before the month concluded with the screening of ‘Blacks Can’t Swim’ – a film which tackles misconceptions and stereotypes around swimming – at Trent Bridge. The growth seen in those youngsters who attended the Black History Month events encapsulates the Trust’s core mission. In particular, the work of those who received four days of intensive training in music production and sound engineering, and who then produced a song which will now become the theme tune ofWorld Game Changers’ annual conference in London, shows how providing opportunities and raising aspirations can deliver results, even in a short space of time. The power of our sport’s long and rich history has been harnessed too, courtesy of our heritage volunteers. TheWynne-Thomas library, now open to the public on selected matchdays and re-organised to assist visitors in finding the informa- tion they desire, remains a treasure trove of literature and memorabilia. A host of illustrated displays have also graced the venue – including prominent exhibitions on Sir Gar- field Sobers and Sir Richard Hadlee in the Radcliffe Road Stand – while guided tours and an ever-expanding online archive cater for cricket-lovers near and far. The team’s tireless work received richly-deserved recognition at 2022’s Sporting Heritage Awards, sharing an award for volunteers with the CC4 Museum ofWelsh Cricket. Such painstaking chronicling of cricket’s past may seem a world away from our charitable initiatives in the city of Nottingham, but all of our community work shares the same goal – to make our sport more accessible and enhance opportunities for those we engage with. It is work which demonstrates our desire to be a central part of life across the county we are privileged to represent. “THE POWER OF OUR SPORT’S LONG AND RICH HISTORY HAS BEEN HARNESSED TOO, COURTESY OF OUR HERITAGE VOLUNTEERS. THE WYNNE-THOMAS LIBRARY REMAINS A TREASURE TROVE OF LITERATURE AND MEMORABILIA.” Tim Eatherington