"This is a HAF programme, a Holiday Activity and Food programme, run in conjunction with the local authority,” Middlesex in the Community’s Dharani Thayi says.
“It gives vulnerable young people who don’t otherwise have holiday plans the chance to come and play sport and also get a free meal like they would get at school.”
Middlesex in the Community is the charitable arm of Middlesex County Cricket Club and operates with the aim of promoting community participation and engagement in cricket across the county’s 17 London boroughs.
They provide and assist in the provision of facilities and activities that promote advancements in health, education, community development and recreational sport.
The Cricket Paper spoke to Thayi at Havelock Community Centre in Southall, West London, where Middlesex in the Community coaches were delivering a cricket session as part of two local housing associations’ Easter holidays HAF programme.
Middlesex in the Community were also involved in Easter programmes taking place in at the Selby Centre in Haringey and Feldly Centre in Tower Hamlets, the latter being the first time a programme has been delivered in that area.
“It’s a programme that’s also supported by the mayor of London, which has recently been extended for another year,” he said.
“The HAF funding was supposed to end at the start of 2025 but it’s been given a year’s extension which means that there’s a food provision for these young people.
“A few years ago it may have been known as the Marcus Rashford programme, which gained steam. It is an integral part of keeping kids fed during the holidays and if you can add some sport and activities, it goes a long way in keeping these kids engaged.”
The programme in Southall was run in partnership with a local organisation called Sunshine Smiles allowing a range of sports and arts and craft activities to be offered, not just cricket, although Thayi and Middlesex in the Community are hoping to bring more cricket-specific sessions to the area in the future.
“We’re looking to get more long-term cricket activity here and this was the gateway towards doing that. We’re reaching the young people we want to reach and breaking down barriers to participation.”
Titus John is the camp leader for Sunshine Smiles at the Havelock site and is tasked with making sure all of their programmes are running smoothly and as they’re supposed to.
“This is my third year now,” John said. “But I’ve been working in schools for about five years, floating between pastoral lead and behaviour specialist roles.
“During this camp this Easter we’ve seen an age range [of participants] between eight and 13. Ealing and Southall in itself is a very multidiverse area.
“It’s heavily populated with South Asian communities, Indians, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, but we also have a lot of Arabs, Turks and Africans, so the demographic of the kids who arrive [at the sessions] can vary. We’ve also had a few kids from the Irish Traveller community.”
This Easter session is not specifically about cricket, but gives children the opportunity to try the game as part of a wider range of activities.
“We do cricket, football, a variety of group sport activities such as dodgeball, fox and hounds. They love playing dodgeball. In the summer we also have badminton, gymnastics and dance.
“We also have lots of arts and crafts going on, boardgames, there’s a chillout area, a giant Jenga set - tons of activities for them to do. Since it’s Easter now, we’ll also set up an Easter egg hunt towards the tailend of the holidays."