Participants, coaches, teachers and volunteers from both Chance to Shine’s ‘Street’ and ‘Schools’ programmes were celebrated at the Chance to Shine Awards 2018 on Wednesday 21 November at Lord’s Cricket Ground.

The event, supported by charity partner NatWest, recognised the hard work, dedication and commitment of those around the country who have contributed to the success of Chance to Shine.

Chance to Shine has been working since 2005 to reverse the decline of cricket in state schools. By providing coaching in schools and extra-curricular opportunities, the charity has reached more than four million young people, 46% of whom are girls, in over 14,000 states schools across the country.

Fairholme Primary in West London won the hotly contested Primary School of the Year award, with judges noting the incredible impact of cricket on the children’s behaviour. The school uses cricket to build a collaborative spirit amongst the students and to develop valuable social skills.

Others recognised included Chance to Shine Street coach Farouk Hussain, a fantastic role model for the hundreds of children who come down to the sessions he runs at Audley Junior School in Blackburn. Hussain has built an excellent rapport with the children he works with and has created a fun, safe environment to play cricket.

England Cricket legend Graham Gooch, who attended the event, said “I’d like to congratulate the winners for their commitment to cricket and it was inspiring to hear about their cricketing journey. Lord’s has been home to some of the great cricketing stories over the years but tonight is right up there.”

“It’s been terrific to learn about the fantastic work that’s going on around the country to make cricket accessible to children and young people. Chance to Shine are working exceptionally hard to give opportunities to thousands of young people every year and it’s really paying off.”

Laura Cordingley, Chief Executive at Chance to Shine, added, “On behalf of everyone at Chance to Shine, I’d like to say a big congratulations to all our winners. Their hard work, commitment and dedication to the sport over the past year has been brilliant and we are very proud to be associated with them. We believe that cricket can have a significant positive impact on the lives of children and young people across the country and their story is a shining example of this.”

Full list of winners

Fairholme Primary, Feltham – Primary School of the Year

The Castle School, Taunton – Secondary School of the Year

Myles Coughlan, Staffordshire – Schools Coach of the Year

Farouk Hussain, Lancashire – Street Coach of the Year

Ibrahim Zafur, Oxfordshire – Street Participant of the Year

Durham Cricket Board – County Board of the Year

Liverpool Girls – Project of the Year

Islington Street – NatWest No Boundaries Award

Alastair Cook – Inspiration Award