17 March 2020 marked the start of a very different world for participants across all of our programmes, when weekly sessions were suspended due to the unprecedented nationwide lockdown.
One week they were attending a Super 1s or Wicketz session with newfound friends while enjoying playing cricket or preparing for the next round of table cricket competitions with their school team. The next, participants were cut off in an instant from all the positive things that playing sport regularly brings.
COVID has since had profound consequences for the wellbeing of young people and disproportionately so for disadvantaged and disabled young people, and those already struggling with their mental health.
The lack of social interaction and opportunities to connect with friends has been particularly difficult. Some don’t understand why this is happening. One Super 1s participant said, “everything I like has been taken away.” Others feel they are being ‘punished’, some becoming more withdrawn with heightened feelings of loneliness and isolation. For both participants and their families, this has been detrimental to their overall wellbeing.
Here we outline how we adapted to the situation from March onwards, and the continued impact of the pandemic.
