On 23 June 2014, supporters of Quest for Education (now Quest for Education Foundation) spent the afternoon at Bentley Heath Cricket Club for Cricket4Education, a charity cricket day in aid of the schools we support in rural Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
On the field
Before play, the players lined up in front of the pavilion for a photograph, most of them in white t-shirts printed with “Quest for Education” and “QfE – Opening Doors”. The matches were then played in whites through the afternoon, under a mix of sunshine and cloud, and the younger players had their turn with the bat too.
Play under way on the main field, 23 June 2014.
Young players take their turn with the bat.
Off the field
Families watched from the pavilion veranda and the boundary. Tables of printed photographs were laid out beside the pavilion for guests to look at, and children played their own games nearby.
Guests beside a display of photographs at the pavilion, 23 June 2014.
Medals, a shield and a shared meal
The day ended with a prize-giving. Medals were handed out and the shield was presented, then everyone gathered for a group photograph in front of the pavilion before sharing food from an outdoor buffet.
The shield is presented at the prize-giving.
Players and supporters together after the prize-giving.
Sharing food together at the end of the day, 23 June 2014.
Where the money goes
Funds raised by QEF support the work of the Kashmir Education Foundation (KEF), which has run schools in the region since 1996. KEF’s schools include Pearl Valley Public School in Rawalakot, its first, established on 14 August 1996; Soan Valley Public School in Bassali, established in May 2005; and Banjosa Valley Public School, established in March 2009. Its college of teacher education at Bassali, which KEF started in 2001, trains women as primary teachers. Read about the schools we support.
Thank you to everyone who took part and donated, and to everyone who came along to watch. If you would like to organise a sporting event of your own, find out how to start fundraising.