ANNUAL REPORT 2019

17 COMMUNITY REPORT to place a defibrillator at every club across the county. James Taylor’s untimely retirement in 2016 left us all in no doubt as to how serious heart conditions can be, and with cricket clubs often occupying a place at the centre of their communities, they seemed the perfect locations for such life-saving equipment. Our initiative will subsidise 50% of the cost of a defibrillator for any interested clubs, and we are currently in the process of installing the first few across the county. This year has also been a landmark one for theTrent Bridge Community Trust, as it enters its second decade of providing support and raising aspirations across Nottinghamshire. For the past ten years, the Trust’s Positive Futures initiative has been a cornerstone of the charity’s work with young people, giving those at risk of social isolation the chance to transform their lives and broaden their horizons. This work has continued, and with over 650 people having now received mentoring over the lifetime of the project, Positive Futures has had a dramatic impact on the lives of young people and the areas they live in. But the Trust’s fastest-growing project remains Forget Me Notts, a scheme which uses sport to battle isolation and provide a lifeline for those living with dementia and their carers. Forget Me Notts’ monthly pro- gramme of quizzes, games and reminiscence at Trent Bridge is well established, but this year has also seen the charity link up with the Nottingham Forest Community Trust, Nottingham Rugby, the National Ice Centre and Edwalton Golf Centre to deliver sports-based activity sessions for attendees. Living with dementia needn’t mean that people give up their hobbies; indeed, physical activity can play a demonstrable role in assisting mental wellbeing. We’re immensely proud to have seen how well-supported the new sports programmes have been, and that Forget Me Notts triumphed in the Health andWellbeing category at the Celebrating Rushcliffe awards. The Trust also offered compli- mentary tickets for a County Championship matchday to those living with dementia, with specifi- cally-tailored activities and support available on the day. This was an initiative which was replicated for members of the armed forces, as part of an on- going commitment to recognise the contribution of current and former service personnel which has included signing the Armed Forces Covenant. The schemes run by the Trust help to ensure a thriving future for cricket and for Trent Bridge, but at a club as rich in history as ours, it is impossible to move forwards without casting a glance backward to our illustrious past. Our heritage team work tirelessly to keep this history alive – most notably this year by unveiling a plaque commemorating the use of the pavilion as a hospital during the FirstWorldWar, and continuing to painstakingly document and catalogue the successes of times gone by. All of us at Trent Bridge recognise how lucky we are to be custodians of our historic venue – and we recognise the power that sport can have away from the field. The work done by the teams men- tioned in this report may sometimes go under the radar, but it is a vital piece of the Trent Bridge jigsaw, placing us proudly at the heart of the community and ensuring we re- main there for generations to come. “FOR THE PAST TEN YEARS, THE TRUST’S POSITIVE FUTURES INITIATIVE HAS BEEN A CORNER- STONE OF THE CHARITY’S WORK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE.” Tim Eatherington Forget Me Notts