Values of Street Child Cricket World Cup struck a chord with the Howard Group
Witnessing the Street Child Cricket World Cup taking place on Parker’s Piece was the culmination of a concept that was first put to the Howard Group three years ago.
Along with Cambridge Assessment, they have provided sponsorship for the event which saw the group stages hosted in Cambridge and the finals held at Lord’s.
The Howard Group is a family-owned property developer and investor company based near Parker’s Piece, and has been around for more than 80 years.
Street Child United’s aims are birth registration, access to education and protection from violence, with the world cups creating a global platform for street children’s voices to be heard – values that struck a chord with the Howard Group.
It is involved in a number of initiatives around the issue of street children and more widely youth homelessness – and so provided some initial financing to kickstart the project.
“It’s about giving young people a voice,” said Howard Group CEO Nicholas Bewes.“It’s about supporting the communities within which we operate so the fact this is taking place in Cambridge, where a lot of the Howard Group’s activities take place, is very significant for us.
“It is an international event that is going to raise awareness for the plight of these young people – many whom have no access to to education, they live in environments which are often unsafe and it’s extraordinary to learn that many of them don’t actually have their own identity.
“Some were having to get birth certificates in order to prove that they exist and I think in a place like Cambridge, where we see such prosperity but at the same time such need, in a sense it’s a microcosm of a global issue.
“It helps to highlight the inequality that exists in society, here in Cambridge, in the UK and further afield.
“It’s something we’re passionate about because we feel people need to step up.”
The company's offices are on the edge of Parker’s Piece, so the tournament was very much on its home turf.
Having started working with Street Child United CEO John Wroe from the outset, it was rewarding for the company to see the youngsters in action at the weekend.
“It’s been quite a long time in the making, and we’ve remained involved involved and engaged over that period,” added Nicholas.
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