Celebrating Impact and Community: Cricketqube, Shared Prosperity, and the Khan Family at the Newcastle City Council Christmas Event
This December, Cricketqube was honoured to be part of a special Christmas celebration organised by Newcastle City Council — an event that brought together senior council leaders, project partners, and community stakeholders to reflect on the progress and impact of our Shared Prosperity-funded Family Cricket work.
We were invited to share a presentation on the project, highlighting how the programme has supported families across Newcastle through free, inclusive cricket sessions. Supported by Newcastle City Council and the North East Combined Authority, this funding has helped us reach families who might otherwise have limited access to sport and structured physical activity.
A Celebration with Purpose
While it had a festive atmosphere, the event was ultimately about something bigger than Christmas: recognising community impact, celebrating partnership working, and showcasing the lived experiences behind the data. It was brilliant to be in a room with the council staff supporting the programme, alongside senior leaders who continue to champion inclusive community provision across the city.
The Family Cricket Project in Action
The Family Cricket project exists to create a welcoming, low-barrier environment where families can be active together, build confidence, and form connections through sport. Sessions are designed to be fun, friendly, and accessible — whether someone has played cricket before or is picking up a bat for the very first time.
Over time, we’ve seen the benefits go well beyond physical activity: families build routine, children develop teamwork and confidence, and parents often connect to wider opportunities through the relationships formed at sessions.
Hearing from Mohib and Saba Khan
A standout moment of the day was having Mohib Khan and his mum, Saba Farooq Khan, attend and share their experiences of the project. Their family has been part of our Family Cricket sessions in Blakelaw for over 16 months — right from the early days.
Mohib began playing through Cricketqube without joining a cricket club, and over time, his skills and confidence grew significantly. He has now been selected to represent Jesmond Park Academy’s school cricket team — a milestone that captured the room’s attention and reflected the real impact of accessible community sport.
Mohib shared:
“I enjoyed Cricketqube sessions and it’s really fun. I love playing here. It helped me to get into my school team.”
Saba also spoke about the wider impact on their family and how the programme has helped her children engage in sport in a way that feels welcoming, fast-paced, and enjoyable.
Saba’s journey also shows how community programmes can create knock-on benefits. Through Cricketqube’s wider support and connections, she completed Mental Health First Aid training with Mind and NSPCC training on working with children with special educational needs, which helped her move into employment as a school teacher.
Why This Matters
Hearing Mohib and Saba speak in a room full of partners and senior leaders was a powerful reminder of why projects like this matter. They are not just sessions — they are community spaces where families grow in confidence, children unlock opportunities, and investment turns into real change.
We’re grateful to Newcastle City Council and the North East Combined Authority for supporting this project, and we look forward to building on this work to reach even more families in the year ahead.