Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) has been recognised for their outstanding safeguarding practices in the LimeLight Awards 2024.
The Club’s Safeguarding team were awarded the Outstanding Service by a Sport Organisation Award – at the ceremony, held in Royal Leaming Spa earlier this month.
Specialist safeguarding individuals and teams from more than 50 sporting organisations across the UK were in attendance at the ceremony.
Pictured from left: Christopher Quinlan KC, YCCC’s Head of Safeguarding Joy Walker, joined by Kim Corson, from the team and Kim Doyle.
The Club, who were nominated alongside Badminton England, Rugby Football Union and Table Tennis England, were commended for their unwavering dedication, innovative practices, and people-centred approach setting new benchmarks in safeguarding in sport.
Joy Walker, Head of Safeguarding for YCCC, said: “I am so proud of our Safeguarding team. It’s nice to be recognised for all the hard work that’s been put into the last two years and the journey that we have been, and continue to be, on.
“This has been a huge team effort from staff across the organisation. We take a proactive approach with the support we offer and aim to understand behaviour. We work hard to ensure of way of working is always person centred.
“This accolade positions us quite nicely as leaders in cricket and sport more generally. We continuously strive to learn and improve and welcome collaboration with other sporting organisations. It is an exciting time for safeguarding in sport.”
YCCC’s Safeguarding team were also celebrated for their outreach programmes which include workshops, seminars, and community events which have fostered a greater understanding of safeguarding issues and promoted a culture of vigilance and care in the wider community.
The team have set up innovative working groups including a League Safeguarding Officer Network in Yorkshire and a Pathway Player Committee which champions the voices of young people.
Stephen Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer for YCCC said: “The work of the Safeguarding team has been nothing short of outstanding.
“Starting with very little in place, over the past two years, Joy and her team have excelled not just by bringing in process, but by driving forward an understanding of safeguarding across Yorkshire Cricket and embedding it in everything that they do.”
Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s Safeguarding team take the Award for Outstanding Service at the LIMElight awards 2024.
The awards, which were presented by Kim Doyle, Chair of LimeCulture, and Christopher Quinlan KC, were part of the LimeCulture Safer Sport Knowledge and Network Conference.
Themes of inclusion, equity, transparency and authenticity were threaded throughout the day, with speakers reflecting on the inspiring and often unacknowledged work of safeguarding professionals within sport.
It also covered the power of the absence or presence of strong and sustained leadership in developing and continually evolving safer cultures in sport, and the need to harness the love and enjoyment of sport to drive the safeguarding agenda forward.
Kim said: “LimeCulture is privileged to work at the forefront of safeguarding in sport. The conference underlined from every angle why culture is critical to effective safeguarding and realising the rights of every individual to be protected from abuse and harm.
“The pace of change in sport over recent years has been phenomenal, and we’re delighted to be able to use this event to step back and reflect with colleagues on the fantastic work under way in so many sports across the country to keep children and adults safe, and to celebrate the commitment and achievements of those individuals that make it all possible.”
