Locals benefit from
regional cricket reuse project

More than 450 items of cricket equipment have been collected for reuse by local schools, disadvantaged individuals, and families, under an innovative new regional scheme led by the Centre for Sustainable Design (CfDS) at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA).

31 May 2024

The Cricket Reuse Project, which takes unwanted cricket equipment and then redistributes it, ran three pilots with Frensham, Rowledge and Spencer Cricket Clubs in Surrey.

The combined Frensham and Rowledge pilots collected around 190 donated items of cricket gear and half of it has already been redistributed.

In terms of environmental impact, this means around 75kg of equipment has been diverted from landfill and carbon was reduced by 800kg (based on 80% use over 3 years).

Adam Hill, Head of Physical Education and Health & Social Care at Ash Manor School was able to pick up a mixture of pads, gloves, bats, and shoes for use in school cricket games and by students who have started to play the game but don’t have their own kit.

Adam said: “We want to give students equal opportunity to play the great game of cricket in what can be an expensive sport.

“Sport is so important for young peoples’ development, taking them away from technology in the world today. These donations will hugely impact the physical health of students playing cricket and their mental and social health too.”

Another beneficiary of the scheme is 34-year-old Afghan refugee Gualaqa Nawid from Bordon, who relocated with his family to the UK from Afghanistan in 2023, through the Government’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).

Gul, who now plays for Headley, Whitehill & Bordon Cricket Club, has been playing cricket ever since he watched the T20 final between Pakistan and India in 2007. After leaving all his equipment back home in Afghanistan the donations meant he could play with his own equipment again.

 “I have a lot of experience in cricket management and events, so the cricket gear donations have helped me a lot, enabling me to play matches and train with my own equipment rather than borrowing it from others,” he said.

“I would like to thank those individuals who donated their cricket gear and would suggest that others, if able to do so, do the same, because now I am able to play a sport I enjoy.”

The Spencer Cricket Club is currently organising the distribution of more than 250 items they collected, and conversations have started with a major organisation to expand the programme to cricket clubs across the country.

The project is led by Professor Martin Charter, the Director of the University for the Creative Arts’ (UCA) Centre for Sustainable Design and supported by the Surrey Cricket Foundation.

“This local scheme proves that tonnes of cricket gear could be going to waste each year, even though the majority of it is good quality and has lots of play left in it,” he said.

He added that 95% of the donated cricket gear was reusable, with some items still in their original packaging.

To learn more and to find out how to set up your own scheme, visit the Centre for Sustainable Design website: www.cfsd.org.uk/projects/cgr