Durham Cricket and Durham Cricket Foundation alongside the England and Wales Cricket Board became the latest signatory to the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport’s Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration.
Richard Gould (Chief Executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board), Phil Collins (Chair, Durham Cricket), Graeme Weeks (CEO, Durham Cricket Foundation) and Kim McGuiness (North East Mayor) put pen to paper on the Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration during the interval of England’s Metro Bank One Day International Series opener against New Zealand at Banks Homes Riverside.
The Declaration is an international treaty that has become a road map to support the ongoing development of a more fair and equitable system of sport and physical activity, fully inclusive of women and girls.
This collective commitment bridges the gap between local grassroots impact, regional leadership, and global strategic change in which a number of North East institutions signed alongside the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Representatives from Durham Cricket Foundation, Eagles Community Foundation, Foundation of Light, NUFC Foundation, Newcastle University, North East Combined Authority, Newcastle Red Bulls, Newcastle University, Durham University and Northumbria University were all in attendance to sign the official document in Chester le Street.
Every four years, IWG convenes a global summit, and the 2026 edition in Birmingham is set to be the foremost gathering of its kind, attracting 1,200 senior leaders, decision-makers and stakeholders from across the globe to exchange best practices, share ground-breaking research and shape the future of gender equity in sport.
Phil Collins, Durham Cricket Chair said: “Durham Cricket is proud to support the collective signing ion the declaration.
“To bring the North East community together in Chester le Street during the England v New Zealand international and for key leaders to sign the Brighton Declaration is a huge honour for us at Durham Cricket and a proud moment for the County.
“This signature is a powerful statement of our shared commitment to continue to create better sporting opportunities for women and girls regionally and worldwide, and at every level.”
Graeme Weeks, Chief Executive of Durham Cricket Foundation, added: “We are incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made across the women’s and girls’ game in our region over the last few years, and becoming a signatory to the Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration is an important recognition of that journey.
“It reflects Durham Cricket Foundation’s long-term commitment to creating opportunities, driving positive cultural change and continuing to grow a thriving future for women and girls in sport across the North East.”