MyLahore joined forces with the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation earlier this year to support Crick-EAT – an initiative which uses the power of sport alongside delivering free nutritious meals to support young people and families who are most in need and most at risk of experiencing holiday hunger.

Over the past few months, the cost of living has soared; price hikes in energy and fuel together with inflation more widely are forcing many families to tighten their purse strings. And, when schools are out, feeding the family through the holidays is contributing to the financial hardship many are already facing.

The new partnership aims to help alleviate this hardship, with MyLahore – an award-winning Bradford-based restaurant and events group – providing thousands of free nutritious meals to children during the school holidays, alongside hours of engaging and fun cricket coaching provided by YCF from professionally trained coaches.

Ishfaq Farooq, the director of MyLahore, said, “It’s set to be a difficult year for the whole country and we want to ensure that children and young people don’t go hungry during the school holidays.

“The Crick-EAT project is a brilliant way to deliver this goal while also providing children with a fun and engaging activity. We’re delighted to be supporting the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation to deliver this.

“Holiday hunger has long been a major issue across the country and it’s an issue that isn’t going away. It is vital that as two passionate Yorkshire teams, we are able to come together and to do our bit to help.”

The new partnership builds on the YCF’s Crick-EAT initiative from previous years – with the scheme having provided over 19,000 meals in the last 18 months with support from Morrisons and Morrisons Foundation.

Beth Cook, Health & Wellbeing Manager for YCF, said, “We are delighted to be working in partnership with MyLahore and continue to support families in Yorkshire through our Crick-EAT scheme.

“We want to play our part in helping those who are at risk of experiencing holiday hunger and we look forward to working closely with the restaurant’s passionate and talented team over the coming years.

“Due to the continued rise in the cost of living this could be a very difficult and challenging year for a lot of families and the holidays can present even more stress around putting food on the table.

“Healthy food is one of the most basic needs for our youth, but many families in our communities continue to struggle with getting access to resources to help feed and nurture their children.

“By working together with MyLahore, we’re using our platform to reach these families and provide the local community with nutritious free meals alongside fun cricket activities so young people can have a happier, hunger-free holiday.”

The Crick-EAT partnership officially launched in the February half-term 2023, with the aim to deliver more than 8,000 meals, alongside hundreds of hours of cricket coaching, across Leeds and Bradford.

Will Saville, Managing Director of YCF, said, “We are absolutely delighted to welcome MyLahore on board as a new official partner of the Foundation’s Crick-EAT programme.

“MyLahore is a fantastic business and a very reputable brand, and the new wellbeing-focused partnership will help us reach even more people in the community.

“We are very excited to be working with the MyLahore team and this new partnership is absolutely integral to increasing the impact of our charity work.”

Yaseen Mohammed, a non-executive director at Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC), said, “I am thankful to MyLahore for supporting the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation, and sharing our vision of creating a community without boundaries.

“With the cost of living crisis, as well as the increase in those accessing free school meals in Yorkshire, the programme continues to provide a lifeline for those children and families that need the most help in these challenging times.

“Sport should be a driving force for good, bringing us together and uniting us. The support from MyLahore will help us to further engage with the local community and help support the communities that need it most.”