Durham Cricket Foundation joined Mayor Kim’s Region of Sport Week as the region’s five professional club charities united for the first time to create a single week of memorable, community-driven sports activity.
The landmark campaign brought together over 3100 participants during the October half term, as Durham Cricket Foundation alongside Newcastle Rugby Foundation, Newcastle United Foundation, Eagles Community Foundation and Foundation of Light united to showcase the combined power of sport in the region.
Each foundation led a dedicated day of activity, with Durham Cricket Foundation taking the spotlight on Wednesday, hosting a cricket camp at the Beacon of Light, which welcomed 97 young people.
During Durham Cricket Foundation’s All Stars programme, participants enjoyed a free day of cricket with free equipment to take home and a nutritious lunch, in an inclusive experience tailored for all abilities and backgrounds.
Graeme Weeks, Chief Executive Officer at Durham Cricket Foundation said: “The five of us (the five foundations) have come together with the North East Combined Authority to explore how much we can achieve together and how big can sport be in our region.
“Being part of the Region of Sport campaign for us is a chance to share sports, share participants and come together under one banner. A whole week of over 3,000 participants taking part and each foundation contributing to that through their own activities is showcasing the strength we have in partnership with each other.
“I’ve been involved for quite a long time now and this is the first time we’ve done anything on this scale in this period of the year. Being a summer-based sport, we normally wouldn’t have the chance to hold large events like this in the autumn. But now with this kind of opportunity all of a sudden, we have nearly 100 kids at the Beacon of Light and 500 over the course of the week, so I’m really proud and excited.”
Across the week the five foundations engaged 3107 participants through their timetabled activities, showing the tremendous reach sport in partnership can deliver and the impact it carries.
A Region of Sport campaign, powered by the five foundations, embodies the North East spirit of collaboration and showcases how sport can drive meaningful change. Together, the organisations are building a legacy of participation, pride and partnership, while tackling key regional challenges such as inequality, access to opportunity and child poverty.
The data and stories gathered from the week will feed into the ongoing Region of Sport strategy, helping to shape future programmes and inform Mayor Kim’s vision for a healthier, more active region.
For Durham Cricket Foundation, the initiative reinforces its wider mission, which is cricket used to tackle real challenges, from social isolation to youth inclusion. Through programmes like All Stars & Dynamos, Girls’ Cricket, Wicketz and Disability Cricket, the Foundation continues to make a lasting impact, reaching far beyond the boundaries of the game.