  Today marks the launch of an exciting fundraising campaign for Connecting Clubs International's (CCI) newly branded 'Cricket for Equality' project in Biratnagar, Nepal.
CCI are most grateful for all of the support received so far allowing the charity to develop ideas and begin the partnership with the Nepal Cricket Foundation (NCF). Over the last year the project has taken shape and CCI will be travelling out to Nepal in February 2017 to deliver 'Cricket for Equality.' This project recognises the role that sport has in society. It allows people to address pressing social issues in a setting that they are comfortable with and allows new modes of conversation. CCI will be working with the Nepal Cricket Foundation to strengthen the level of cricket in Biratnagar through coaching sessions, donating equipment and making the club a focal point in the community. From this position, CCI and NCF, will set about raising awareness and providing a space for discussion around gender equality issues. NCF is an inclusive club, open to all and it is through further strengthening its position in the local community that 'Cricket for Equality' will drive lasting social change, using sport as the catalyst. To make this project a success funding is key. CCI are so grateful for all of the generous support received so far. So today marks the launch of a brand new crowdfunder campaign, aimed at spreading the word about CCI, NCFand the Cricket for Equality programme. The target is £6000, an amount that would make an enormous difference to ability of this programme to succeed. So please have a look at the fundraising page and consider donating to a cause close to all of our hearts and together help drive meaningful change in Nepal. http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/cricket-for-equality?tk=374f99e65be986459879af9172b9431a7eaccfea Thank you. CCI
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Friday night saw Mott MacDonald, a global engineering, management and development consultancy, host a Connecting Clubs International T20 fundraiser in Cambridge. With teams made up from the both the London and Cambridge offices, a glorious evening at the CASS centre greeted the players in a game played very much in the right spirit. With all players batting and bowling and with 5 runs lost for every wicket keeping track of the scores was, at times, a little tricky and the game was indebted to the scorer from the Cambridge office who did a remarkable job! In the end, in front a cracking crowd of Mott MacDonald employees and a few boisterous workers from the near-by Cambridge University Press, the side containing CCI's very own Angus Berry came out on top. Performance of the evening came from Alex Henderson who showed his skills both with bat and ball to swing the game in his team's favour. A BBQ followed and thanks to the generosity of players and spectators alike CCI raised a total of £387 towards work in Nepal. CCI would like to thank everyone that took part in the game and in particular to James Knightbridge and Divesh Mistry of Mott MacDonald for organising and hosting the game. It was a cracking evening for all involved and talk of a repeat next season was on everyone's lips.  CCI is proud to announce a brand new partnership with Chiltern Sports. Chiltern Sports is a growing business providing customers with fantastic equipment with unrivalled expertise.
Chiltern Sports share our vision for growing the game of cricket and sport more generally and are working with us to support our projects. As part of our partnership, customers who enter 'connect2016' at the checkout will not only bag some fantastic gear but they will also send a donation our way. What could be better. So check-out the site, spread the word and know that when you next need cricket or hockey gear you can help communities all over the world by buying through Chiltern Sports. Don't forget the code - connect2016 http://chilternsports.co.uk/ We are proud to bring you our first annual report. This has all the details of how our first year of being a charity has gone, with news of our successes and where we are going over the next 12 months. We are indebted to a number of people for making our first year so rewarding and we hope that you will continue to support us into the future. Connecting Clubs, we believe, has a bright future, one where we will continue to work with communities, for communities. Please read the report to see how our first year has gone and please spread the word about what we are doing to use sport for development. Thank you. Connecting Clubs International (CCI) is delighted to report the success of its fundraising Sixes day in partnership with the University of Sussex Men’s Cricket Club. Over thirty cricketers took to the South coast in nothing short of perfect playing conditions. Indeed there were a few red faces come the end of the day, and not just because of the standard of cricket! With the Falmer Sports Complex looking in glorious in the April sunshine, 10 games were played throughout the day at a frenetic pace. Three sides from the university clubs, one made up of Sussex alumni, and one representing CCI battled it out for the prize of Sixes champion. Some fantastic, and some not so fantastic, cricket was played across the day with the Sussex Committee VI taking the honours at the end of the day having won all of their matches. The CCI team, consisting of CEO Angus Berry and trustees Thomas Fletcher and Ben Stoddart, managed two wins from four games, having to settle for mid table. Amongst the cricket, the cheese board, and the quiz there was time to reflect on why this tournament was taking place. Angus Berry addressed the teams before the day got under way to promote the charity and detail why CCI is raising money for charity. Berry concluded that, “We are all here today because of the love of sport. This feeling is felt across the world in countries that are rich and countries that are poor. Sport has the power to unite and to rebuild communities. At CCI we are using the power of sport to deliver lasting social change to communities that need it most.” Thanks to the generosity of the players from all teams, over £500 was raised for CCI with all the money going towards its Nepal project. CCI would like to thank its partner, the University of Sussex Men’s Cricket Clubs for its hospitality and extend special thanks in particular to Liam Ward and Michael Harms for organising such a great day. Thanks, CCI Team. For those still wishing to donate you can do so by texting GCCI11 £5 to 70070.  Tomorrow sees the launch of our very first Sixes day in partnership with the University of Sussex Men's Cricket Clubs. Around 40 cricketers will take to the South Coast all with the same goal - raising money to drive lasting social change in Nepal. 6 teams will battle it out over the day in a fast and furious format. Players have been sourced from the club's membership, the alumni network and our very own VI. A number of events have been planned across the day to raise money for our cause, including a lunchtime quiz, range hitting competition, and a fines system - all in good fun of course! We will be tweeting throughout the day and encouraging the players to do the same. So look out for the #connectingclubs to join in and keep up-to-date on the day. If you like what you see then why not help us yourself? Donations to our project have never been easier. This week we introduced text donations, meaning that you can donate any amount between £1 and £10 with a few simple swipes of your phone. We can't wait for Sunday and hope that you can join us, either in person or online. For those planning on coming on the day, entry is free with a suggested donation of £5 and the games will be taking place at: Falmer Sports Complex, Brighton BN1 9PL.  Mott MacDonald Community Awards - Winners! Connecting Clubs International (CCI) is pleased to announce it has received £1000 as part of the 2016 Mott MacDonald Community Awards. The money will be used to support CCI’s sport for development programme in Biratnagar, Nepal, by funding cricket equipment and coaching costs. Angus Berry, founder of Connecting Clubs International, said: “CCI is delighted to receive this award and is extremely grateful to Mott MacDonald for recognising our work and showing belief in such a young charity. With the help of this award we look forward to driving lasting social change in Nepal long into the future.” Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management and development consultancy with over 16,000 employees worldwide. Its annual Community Awards recognise employees’ volunteering activities with charities in a number of categories.   Connecting Clubs x University of Sussex 01.05.2016 Connecting Clubs International (CCI) is thrilled to announce the first Sixes Tournament of 2016, taking place at the University of Sussex on Sunday 1st May. With sides made up of Sussex University Cricket Club members, Sussex University Old Boys, and CCI representatives all pitched against each other, it’s set to be a day of rivalries old and new and good-natured competition. With only six on a side and six overs, this short, sharp, and exciting mini-tournament is set to ignite the CCI fundraising this summer. A number of matches will be taking place throughout the day with a BBQ and refreshments aplenty being served on the sidelines. The midpoint of the day will see players chance their arm at a range hitting competition, which is almost certain to end in embarrassment for some! All money raised from the day will go towards CCI’s project in Nepal. This cricket development project is widening access to the game through sharing coaching expertise, donating equipment and improving infrastructure. The project is based in the Nepalese city of Biratnagar in the east of country. With a project delivery date of February 2017, the University of Sussex Sixes Tournament will be another crucial step towards providing lasting social change in Nepal. The University of Sussex is a special place for CCI, with Founder and CEO Angus Berry gracing the Falmer wicket throughout his three years at the university. Regional Officer for Nepal, Avi Shrestha also undertook a Masters Degree at the university. CCI is delighted that the University of Sussex partnership is proving so productive; to find out more about projects, donating and getting involved then check out the website: www.connectingclubs.org  Connecting Clubs are delighted to announce details of our first development programme, taking place in Biratnagar, Nepal. In February 2017 Connecting Clubs will travel to Nepal to undertake a cricket development programme, working with the local community to deliver lasting social value. The programme will last just over two weeks, working with stakeholders from across the community, delivering coaching sessions, health and safety training and health and nutrition education. We will be working closely with local coaches to ensure that our programme is far-reaching, inclusive and beneficial beyond sport. Our programme will be funded by our Connecting Clubs National Event Days, taking place throughout the summer of 2016. Today, we are proud to announce the very first CCI Event Day! For a day of celebrating cricket and the community, mark your calendars for: Sunday 4th September 2016 This inaugural day will see cricket clubs up and down the country and across the continent taking part in our National Connecting Clubs T20 Day. Clubs from Brighton to Aberdeen, and everywhere in between, will join together in a day of fundraising both for their own club and our partner in Nepal. Together we will collectively support cricket in Biratnagar and help drive lasting social change in the wider community. For more details about how you and your club can get involved please get in touch with us at info@connectingclubs.org and watch out for more details about two more exciting days of Connecting Clubs cricket action this summer.  It has been another busy couples of weeks at Connecting Clubs with lots of meetings and lots of promising stuff in the pipeline. Fundraising Our fundraising officer Charlie Wood has been working hard engaging with equipment suppliers to see how we can maximise our donations overseas. We aim to have a preferred supplier in place by the end of the month. Programme Delivery We are currently working out what the programme for our project in Nepal is going to look like. We know that sport has the ability to be a powerful message and we want to ensure that the money raised for Connecting Clubs is used to deliver a powerful and lasting programme in Nepal to ensure the community feel empowered and connected. Donations We are currently making it easy for you all to donate by showing you just what your money will deliver. Watch out for newsletters and calls for donations soon as they will demonstrate the value of a donation to Connecting Clubs #ConnectedClubs We hope to add at least five more clubs to our network over the next few weeks and these will be shared with you as soon as they are made official Nepal A big thanks to our man in Nepal, Avi for sharing some great photos of the local community engaging with cricket. Thanks for your continued support! Angus Berry, founder of Connecting Clubs.   |
