The Trustees of CWB do a great job in developing strategy and supporting the delivery on the ground. Often they are behind the scenes, but we want to bring them to the front. Today meet Tracey Francis, Trustee since 2019.

a) How and when did you find out about CWB? – I have been aware of CWB since its inception as I knew Andy and Ed (CWB founders) from way back and have been watching the charity and its achievements for the past 15 years. When I launched my own charity in 2008 – The Trent Bridge Community Trust - I took some of the principles from CWB (around health awareness, using coaching as a tool to deliver key messages etc) into my own work.

b) Why is the health messaging so important? – Sport is a great leveller: it’s fun, it’s healthy, and you are with your friends, what better way to sell-in a difficult but sometimes life saving health messages. Stigma, ignorance and mis-information all contribute to ‘myths’ around our health messages. Our job is to bust those myths and educate young people, as they can influence up - with their parents, community leaders - and down with their siblings and friends, but most importantly they take valuable positive health messages into their adult lives, which in turn will help reduce the health inequalities, spread of disease, and create healthy and happy children with bright and lifelong futures ahead of them.

c) Where would you most like to visit on a CWB project? - CWB has been developing contacts in Nepal and that is a place I would love to visit, although my ambition as a trustee is to support and visit every country we are delivering in. However, personally for me, Nepal would be a lifelong ambition, and I would definitely bolt on a week to go walking in the base of the Himalayas.

d) What’s the biggest stigma that children in your country face and how can sport help address it? - All around the world children face similar stigma, similar to sub-Saharan Africa, malnutrition/ HIV / respiratory diseases and mental health are all prevalent in Nepal Adding to this, poverty and lack of education are a huge stigma for children. Sport can help address this by creating healthier lifestyles. Physical activity releases endorphins which create a feel good factor and through this sport can support educational messages, language, co-operation and leadership skills.

e) What’s your favourite cricketing moment? - I have been fortunate enough to work for both Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and the ECB and so have seen some amazing moments in Cricket, I guess the 2015 Ashes Test, with Stuart Broad’s 8 from 15, and in 2017 the ICC Womens’ World Cup Final were probably the highlights of my career.

f) What do you do when you're not CWB-ing? – I actually spent 10.5 years in Cricket, I managed the Trent Bridge Community Trust, was a Cricket Development Manager and latterly the Head of Growth for the ECB, where I developed the Women’s Softball Cricket Offer, Last Man Stands, and the delivery of the South Asian Strategy.

Since then I have transferred my career to building sport, I now act as a consultant in an Architects practice and work with Sports Clubs and Associations to help them refurbish, build new, or move their grounds. Outside of my professional career my happy place is at the top of a mountain either hiking it, or ski-ing down it. I’m an avid runner, hockey player, and dog lover.