by Gloucestershire Visually Impaired County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire Growlers are a Visually Impaired (VI) cricket club based at Hatherly and Reddings CC in Cheltenham. We are seeking funding to allow us to play at the Leicester Development tournament.
This event brings together over a hundred VI cricket players every September. We are raising funds to go towards the cost of entry fees, travel and accommodation.
The Context
Visually impaired people can often become isolated from society. They find it harder to find work, travel or socialise. Many spend a lot of time on their own at home.
Involvement in VI Cricket can:
Game Action from our game in Dorset in May 2015 – Featuring our chairman Marc Gulwell
Can you give us some statistics on this problem?
“There are almost 25,000 blind and partially sighted children in Britain. That is equal to 2 in 1,000 children. As many as half of these children may have other disabilities.” (Morris and Smith, Educational Provision, 2008)
“Two-thirds of registered blind and partially sighted people of working age are not in paid employment.” (Douglas et al, Network 1000, 2006)
“There is a link between sight loss and reduced wellbeing. Over one-third of older people with sight loss are also living with depression.” (Hodge, Barr and Knox 2010)
How will you deliver this?
The Development Festival gives all players the chance to gain match experience in a low-pressure environment, but above all it creates a fantastic social occasion for people. It builds solidarity between VI people and gives them a sense of belonging rarely found in everyday life.
The Growlers at the 2015 Festival