By Kate Stephens, CEO Chance to Shine
It was a proud, important and inspiring morning on Wednesday as the Chance to Shine community gathered to launch our 2025 Impact Report in the Palace of Westminster.
This is always a defining moment in our calendar, and in 2025, our twentieth anniversary year, and at a time of great need, this has never been more so. As a result, we have been thrilled to work with our founder and President, Lord King of Lothbury, to host this year’s launch at the House of Lords, helping us ensure that we can take our message to those who have the power and means to make a difference to young people across the UK.
At Chance to Shine, we believe cricket is more than just a sport – it’s a powerful tool for empowering young people, building communities, and helping those children to unlock their full potential. For over two decades, we’ve been working across the UK to ensure every child, regardless of background, has the chance to play, learn, and grow through cricket.
It was a joy to celebrate a year of remarkable achievements and spend time with some truly inspiring young people. I was particularly moved by Jacob’s story – a boy who, after never engaging with sport, fell in love with cricket so much that the only thing on this Christmas list was a bat and ball. Jacob joined us at the launch, along with some of his classmates, and seeing their pride in sharing their story was so humbling for us all. Jacob’s teacher Rob also spoke to the room about what cricket means to the young people in his school, and touched everyone with his words.
The numbers from our impact report tell a compelling story.
Last year, 626,863 young people, half of whom were girls, took part in Chance to Shine programmes. That includes sessions at one in four primary state schools in England and Wales. It’s the kind of scale that build momentum, builds communities and changes perceptions.
But what sets our work apart is the profound impact we’ve had on the lives of those we reach. For instance, 94% of teachers reported improvements in their pupils’ self-belief, 92% saw increased resilience, and 94% observed better teamwork. Even more encouraging, 90% of pupils said they enjoyed their cricket sessions, and 84% reported gaining leadership opportunities.
We also run 274 street clubs in areas facing socio-economic challenges. The results from these clubs are equally inspiring: 93% of participants feel more confident meeting new people, 96% feel they belong, and 87% feel more connected to their community through the sessions.
Thank you to everyone who attended and made the day so special, the MPs, Peers and officials who joined us, and to our wonderful delivery partners, funders and supporters – especially the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Sport England. And a special thank you from me to the staff at Chance to Shine, who were the most magnificent team and demonstrated the values of our sport with aplomb.
It was also a special moment to have Steph Peacock, the Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth Stephanie Peacock join us, taking the time to chat with children from The Mill Academy in her constituency in Barnsley. They loved meeting the Minister, and they also loved meeting cricketing hero Tymal Mills, and to see themselves in print in the report – just magic!
One of the wonderful things about Chance to Shine is the personal commitment and passion that our founders have for the charity. Lord King and Mark Nicholas spoke to powerfully about Chance to Shine: Lord King reminding everyone that it is not about what kids can do for cricket, but about what cricket can do for kids, and Mark’s closing comments summed up the day perfectly: “We’re proud of what we have achieved, but there is so much more to do. Cricket has the power to change lives, and we want to reach even more young people across the UK. Spread the word”.
As we seek to reach 1 million young people annually by 2028, we invite you to join us in creating a future where every child has the Chance to Shine.
Here is to everything that this community can build together.
