October 2024

The Buffini Chao Foundation is delighted to be continuing its relationship with Chance to Shine who inspire young people through cricket. We support some of their programmes in Birmingham and the North-East and it is wonderful to see the joy of cricket brought to children and young people who may not otherwise be able to access it.

Trustee, Sue Gutierrez, visited ‘Sparkhill Street’ which is an incredibly popular youth project that has been running in Birmingham for several years. The children (8-15 years old) play outdoors in the summer but move into a school sports hall in the winter. This project is particularly successful thanks to the passion of the coach, Fareed who has been involved with Chance to Shine for thirteen years – first as a player and now as a coach. His passion for cricket is infectious, and he is a wonderful role model. It was really impressive to see teenagers running around getting exercise and learning teamwork skills instead of staying in bed on a Sunday morning!

Sue also met the new Chance to Shine CEO, Kate Stephens who was attending the session as part of her induction into the charity. She was also very impressed by the coaching and the excellent behaviour and enthusiasm of all involved. Sir Damon and Lady Buffini are looking forward to celebrating more Chance to Shine success stories at the annual awards ceremony at Lord’s Cricket Ground.