Devon Cricket Wicketz Development Officer, Katie Holland, celebrates the amazing work her volunteer coach, Emma, does at our Plymouth hubs.

Emma first became a volunteer with Wicketz Plymouth after bringing her two sons to our weekly hub sessions, deciding to volunteer to challenge herself and build on the things she learnt. Emma saw volunteering as a great opportunity to develop herself whilst still supporting the opportunity Wicketz has given her children.

Sharing her experience with Wicketz and the impact it has had on her son, Josiah, Emma said:

“From what I have experienced and seen first-hand, Wicketz is a great programme. It really is welcoming to any ability; people who find sport difficult and need extra support with core skills, such as catching, can really take their time in a friendly environment to reach their goals.

"On a more personal note, my son Josiah started coming to Wicketz having always found social and physical activity tricky and never trusting in his own ability. Fast forward over a year and a half of Wicketz later and he has really grown in confidence: he isn't scared of trying to catch the ball or diving to stop the ball. He even earnt the nickname 'The Wall' while at the Repton Boys Festival which gave him a huge boost and his confidence has continued to grow ever since."

Having never played or coached cricket before volunteering with Wicketz, Emma has since gone on to volunteer at our annual Wicketz Festivals and has become an ECB Support Coach.

Katie says "this is a huge achievement for Emma" as, much like Josiah, she had lacked confidence in her ability and was rarely putting herself forward to try new things.

"I feel like I have gained the ability to push myself to learn something outside of my comfort zone," says Emma. "Volunteering with Wicketz has provided me with a friendly and easy environment to do this, and it has allowed me to gain my support coach qualification, which is something I am very proud of."

"Emma is a real asset to Wicketz Plymouth, and goes above and beyond with supporting our programme," says Katie. "Not only does she volunteer her time at two of our weekly hub sessions, she also attends all Wicktetz Festivals and provides creative ideas for workshops and weekly sessions."Emma’s favourite part about volunteering is being able to support young people and seeing them develop key life skills:

“Watching kids come to the group who aren’t confident in physical or social skills and seeing them develop them each week is brilliant. Learning alongside them is great fun too! Watching friendships form and the natural communication between the kids and us grow is really lovely to be part of.”

Thank you for all your support Emma, we are extremely grateful!