Meet the team

Name: Sally Johnston (Project Leader/Welfare) bridge stop-001

Nickname: Spad

Where do you live: Ringmer, a village in East Sussex featuring a curry house no less, more than one cricket pitch, various random organisations too quirky to mention and the South Downs & Glyndebourne on our doorstep

Age: 47

Describe yourself in three words: Sugar and Spice

What made you apply to volunteer for CWB: It was because I had a philanthropic itch to scratch. I went to Rwanda with CWB in 2010 & I’m still itchy

What are you most looking forward to: Smiley children, meeting fascinating people, pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, unfamiliar smells, sights and noises, big African skies, the inevitable reality check, two weeks off work, sun & rain, a bank load of good memories

Advice you would give your younger self: Don’t sweat about the small stuff

Non researched fact about HIV/AIDS: HIV is a condition that can be controlled with meds

Can you give a pledge for CWB’s 10th anniversary year in 2015: I will host a CWB profile and fundraising event, plus eat 10 cakes in 10 minutes

 

Name:  John Brown (Umpiring & Scoring)John Brown photo-001

 

Nickname: JB- my preferred choice from several less favourable alternatives

Where do you live:  Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire – a small village in West Oxfordshire

Age: 65

Describe yourself in three words: Tall, grey, sports-nut

What made you apply to volunteer for CWB: I got talking to someone at a party who had volunteered; he told me all about CWB

What are you most looking forward to: Returning to Uganda and to see how the project has progressed since I was there in 2012 and to hopefully meet up with some of the local coaches again

Coaching and/or volunteering experience: I qualified as a level 2 coach about 20 years ago when my club first introduced a youth section and have coached U11-U17 age groups during that time. I have been a cricket volunteer for 40 years; I have been secretary or Chairman of my present club, OBNCC who play in the Cherwell League, for the last 35 years

Advice you would give your younger self: Take it all in

Hero, living or legend: Cricketing heroes were Barry Richards and Malcolm Marshall who I had the privilege of watching play for Hampshire. Wes Hall, when I was taken to watch the West Indies as part of the school cricket team and made me double the length of my run up as a result!

Non researched fact about HIV/AIDS:    The pattern of sexual behaviour in Africa is very different to that in Western countries and that is something that needs to be understood when seeking to understand why it is so prevalent in Sub Sahara countries

 

Name:  Paul Rallings (Monitoring & Evaluation)Paul Rallings photo-001

Nickname: Rollo (aren’t cricketers original!!)

Where do you live: Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire – a small village on the Thames

Accent: Hint of old Oxfordshire

Age: 55

Describe yourself in three words: Adventurous immature sportslover

What made you apply to volunteer for CWB: I had been looking for some sort of charity work where my skill set could be useful for quite some time. I came across CWB and realised that my coaching skills could be put to work

What are you most looking forward to: Coaching juniors in an entirely alien environment

How are you raising funds for the trip:  I initially sent a mail-shot to friends simply asking for sponsorship for the work I will be doing in Uganda. I am currently looking at corporate sponsorship from local firms

Advice you would give your younger self: Enjoy it all

Hero, living or legend:  Martin Johnson – the real reason England won the World Cup in 2003.

Non researched fact about HIV/AIDS:    HIV can exist in the body for quite some time before – or even if – that body starts to suffer from AIDS. (As I said at my interview, I know very little about HIV/AIDS)

 

Name: Peter Yates (Blogs & photos)Peter Yates photo-001

Nickname: Yatesy

Where do you live: Dunstable, on the Chiltern Hills. Biggest town in the South without a railway station (Beechingnised). Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon in Dunstable Priory (first known example of a cricket widow, apparently)

Accent: The Oval

Describe yourself in three words: I really can’t count

What made you apply to volunteer for CWB: They promised pancakes. And tickets to Lord’s

What are you most looking forward to: Pancakes. Have a bad feeling about the tickets

Coaching and/or volunteering experience: Played most of my cricket on the wonderful village grounds of Somerset and Devon. Handle Ebay listings for British Heart Foundation in my area. Volunteer at Foodbank and CALM

Name a random skill that you have that you could deploy in Uganda: Barbequeing

Advice you would give your younger self: Grow up

Hero, living or legend: Harold Pinter. Heroine (in the interests of equality): Patricia Kaas

Non researched fact about HIV/AIDS: Freddie Mercury, RIP. And those ads were scary

Can you give a pledge for CWB’s 10th anniversary year in 2015: I will interview Sir Ian Botham

 

Name: Reece Brant (Blogs & Media)Reece Brant photo-001

Nickname: Tangles

Where do you live:  Sutton-on-Sea in Lincolnshire on the East Coast.   Most people have heard of Skegness which is half an hour away

Accent: Lincolnshire

Age: 23

Describe yourself in three words: Fun, Energetic, Bubbly

What made you apply to volunteer for CWB:  I have always wanted to do some kind of charity work involving cricket.  CWB will enable me to pass on any knowledge of cricket I have to the youngsters in Uganda who are less fortunate than myself

How are you raising funds for the trip: Carried out a Van Pull through my town, organised a cricket match, a large raffle, private donations and sponsorships

Coaching and/or volunteering experience: Level 2 ECB Cricket Coach.  Coach all three junior teams at my local club in Sutton-on-Sea

Name a random skill that you have that you could deploy in Uganda: Crazy Dancing

Advice you would give your younger self: You only live once

Hero, living or legend:  Bumble  – David Lloyd – A great guy

Non researched fact about HIV/AIDS: HIV is the virus that can lead to AIDS

 

Name: Steve Wells (HIV/AIDS lead)Stephen Wells photo-001

Nickname: Gwandad

Where do you live? Claygate, Surrey. Five pubs, one cricket team. Fair balance

Accent: Compromised Home Counties, but lapses back into Worcestershire/Archers when I’ve had a few…

Age: 67, 68 the day before we depart…so I’ll be really old then…

Describe yourself in three words: On the go…can’t risk stopping

What made you volunteer for CWB? Love cricket, loved my time volunteering in Rwanda

What are you most looking forward to? Sharing enjoyment of cricket in a completely new environment

How are you raising money for the trip? Sponsorship of the ‘Wells Family Marathon’ involving running 85 laps of the boundary at Claygate Cricket Club

Coaching and/or volunteering experience. Set up colts section at local cricket club. Mentoring of ex-offenders, and facilitator of restorative justice

Name a random skill that you have that you could deploy in Uganda: Facilitation of problem-solving/mediation…but I hope not!

Advice you would give to your younger self: Get a nose job when it was cheap!

Hero. Living or Legend? Tom Graveney and Basil D’Oliveira watched at New Road as an awestruck schoolboy

Super Power? To play a shot through mid-wicket like Tom Graveney

Non Researched Fact about HIV. Prevention is better than control, especially in poor countries

Can you give a pledge for CWB’s 10th anniversary year? I’ll get sponsored by fellow members of the Surrey Over 60’s squad for every wicket I take

 

Name:  Philip Silvester (Kitty Monitor)Phil Silvester photo-001

Where do you live: Ashprington, Devon

Accent: Terrible

Age: 63

Describe yourself in three words: Nothing is serious

What made you apply to volunteer for CWB: Love cricket, love volunteering, CWB sounds so worthwhile

What are you most looking forward to: Smiles and teamwork

How are you raising funds for the trip: Blackmail, selling earplugs, bicycles and cream teas

Coaching and/or volunteering experience: London Ambassador from 2012, ICC cricketeer, PGA golf host and hopefully a St Mungo mentor

Name a random skill that you have that you could deploy in Uganda: I can clear streets with my singing!

Advice you would give your younger self: There’s no way out so go for it

Hero, living or legend:  Cricket – Jack Robertson, other – Laura Trott

Non researched fact about HIV/AIDS: A potion of fried elephant and rhino poachers’ testicles cures HIV/AIDS

 

Name: Steve Williams (Tutor)

Info to follow

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