“Sport has the power to change the world... It speaks to youth in a language they understand. It can create hope where once there was only despair.” Nelson Mandela, 2000. Having worked for the Olympic and Paralympic Games over the past decade I have seen first-hand the amazing power of sport to break down barriers, inspire and give hope. Now it’s my time to give something back.

From 13-24 July 2017 I will travel to Zambia in Africa to support the Hockey Dreams Foundation project in Lusaka. The Hockey Dreams Foundation uses hockey as a tool to provide underprivileged in Africa with a better future. They believe that sport development has the ability to improve communities and to protect children from the dangers of using drugs or getting caught up with criminal activities. The hockey project provides a safe environment for them to express and enjoy themselves and learn important life values. They focus on developing, training and educating local coaches, because they are the foundation for the community and the best way to reach the youth.

Hockey was my first love. My parents met through an international hockey tournament and they played hockey on their wedding day and their honeymoon. My father sadly passed away last month. He was very well known in the hockey community (FIH website: http://www.fih.ch/news/hockey-mourns-loss-of-pioneer-who-helped-introduce-hockey-to-china/ ) and he recently told me about when he played in Zambia in 1973. So I am fundraising for the Hockey Dreams Foundation as a tribute to him and to pass on his love for the game to the underprivileged children benefitted by the project in Zambia and Malawi.

Thank you for your generous support, it will make a huge difference.

*I am fully covering my costs for the trip so every penny raised will go directly the Hockey Dreams Foundation project. The Hockey Dreams Foundation is based in Holland, meaning I have to do my fundraising via Crowdfunding not UK specific 'Just Giving'.