Leicestershire CCC Blessed As Grace Space Officially Opened

Leicestershire CCC was blessed by faith practitioners from across the county to bestow good luck upon the Club ahead of the Foxes’ opening home game of the season on Friday.

Eight faiths were present alongside dignitaries from Leicestershire “ including Lord Lieutenant, Mike Kupur, and Lord Mayor, Cllr Dr Susan Barton “ to say a prayer and bless symbolic items from across the Club.

Representatives of LCCC’s six pillars each put forward an item pertinent to their department, including a cricket bat, women’s cricket balls, a community map, a spade, and the One Day Cup trophy.

50 guests gathered at Uptonsteel County Ground ahead of play against Sussex, hosted by CEO, Sean Jarvis; Community and EDI Director, Namita Patel; and The Right Reverend Saju Muthalaly, Bishop of Loughborough.

Working with the St Phillips Centre, the list of attending faith practitioners included: George Ballentyne “ Baha’I; Bhante Arunasiri “ Buddhism; Ila Patel “ Hinduism; Zubeir Hassam “ Islam; Dr. Shashi Mehta “ Jain; Tony Nelson “ Judaism; Angela Langrick “ Paganism; Harjinder Singh “ Sikhism.

Bishop Saju also formally opened the ‘Grace Space’, the Club’s new purpose-built facility designed for the community to use for FREE.

The inclusive space can be utilised on matchdays and non-matchdays as a prayer room, meditation room, classroom, accessible changing place, or as a sensory experience.

Discussing the event, Community and EDI Director, Namita Patel, said: “It was wonderful to bring our diverse communities together and share our message that Uptonsteel County Ground is a place for everyone to feel like they belong.

“We’re thrilled to officially unveil our dedicated ‘Grace Space’ facility. We are making great strides in our mission to be a more inclusive club and we encourage our communities to enjoy the use of this space.”

The ‘Grace Space’ is open to all spectators on matchdays and can be booked for use by local community groups on non-matchdays by emailing enquiries@leicestershireccc.co.uk.