Greater Hume Council has been awarded funding from the National Backyard Cricket fundraising campaign for libraries. Funding received includes $1500 in the form of gift cards from Harvey Norman to support technology needs in libraries and the purchase of robotic equipment.
Additional funding of $1000 was received to purchase board games and other interactive games to be used by all ages in the libraries. The funds raised were the result of the inaugural National Backyard Cricket program which was held around Australia during the 2020-2021 summer.
National Backyard Cricket is a fundraising program established by The LBW Trust. National Backyard Cricket raises funds for education projects offered in country libraries across Australia and overseas tertiary education. The library grant-making process was managed by Friends of Libraries Australia (FOLA), a national non-profit that represents the 12-million Australians who are members of their local public libraries.
There were 125 games of backyard cricket played during the National Backyard Cricket campaign, with over 320 donors helping to raise more than $125,000. The events were supported by cricketing royalty including; Justin Langer, Alex Blackwell, Ryan Carters, Russel Arnold, Alyssa Healy, Ed Cowan and Michael Holding.
David Vaux, Chair of The LBW Trust said, "This year's National Backyard Cricket day was an opportunity for families and communities across Australia to come together and have fun playing our iconic game after an extremely challenging 12 months, while supporting an important cause at the same time. We are thrilled we can support local libraries as we know they have a powerful impact on learning and life outcomes."
