The Sussex Cricket Foundation (SCF) is running three walking cricket projects in the east of the county and the projects, in Ore, Rye and Wishingtree, allow people over the age of 55 to get or stay involved with cricket, keep active, and socialise.
Sessions at all three locations consist of an hour of walking cricket followed by 30 minutes of socialising, with free refreshments, and are under way now. These sessions are completely free of charge and will run on a weekly basis throughout the year.
The Ore session takes place at Ore Community Centre from 10-11.30am on Mondays, the Rye session at Tilling Green Community Centre from 10-11.30am on Wednesdays, and the Wishingtree sessions at Hollington Community Centre from 10-11.30am on Thursdays.
Participants interested in getting more involved are being offered the opportunity to become Walking Cricket Activators who can then volunteer to help SCF coaches run sessions in the future.
The three new projects have been made possible thanks to funding from the Hastings and Rother Clinical Commissioning Group following a successful pilot in Bexhill over the past year.
Colin Brooks, who describes himself as “76 years young”, had this to say about the Bexhill sessions at which he has been a regular participant: “I have taken an active part in Walking Cricket at the Leisure Centre in Bexhill for the past 12 months and I can commend it to anyone who is even a little bit fit.
“It is fun, it keeps you moving, it helps you become more mobile – even though we might be a good deal slower than we once were. It helps you meet all sorts of people, from all walks of life. And did I say… it is fun!”
Vanessa Potter, Sussex Cricket’s Head of Education & Health added: “Keeping active is key to good physical health and mental well-being. Taking part in regular physical activity can reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes and improve mood.
“By offering our new free Walking Cricket programmes across Hastings and Rother, we hope to encourage more people to get active by taking part in this fun, sociable and friendly sport, specifically designed to be accessible to all fitness and ability levels.
“We would like to encourage people to get in touch to find out more, or to simply drop into one of the weekly sessions to give Walking Cricket a try.”
For more information on the Sussex Cricket Foundation Walking Cricket sessions, please email vanessa.potter@sussexcricket.co.uk or phone 01273 894 241. (Source: Sussex Cricket)
Photo: Sussex Cricket