How ECB and Sky's Dynamos campaign inspired mother of two

We hear from mother of two and member of Bradford Park Avenue Ladies cricket club, Safina Aziz, about the impact the All Stars Cricket and Dynamos Cricket programmes have had on her daughter Inaaya, who suffers from a hidden disability.

I have two children, twins Inaaya and Faaris, nine. Inaaya suffers from a rare genetic condition and has spent a considerable length of time in and out of hospital. After a few years of tests and procedures, we finally had a diagnosis - she suffers from Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

There was a time when Inaaya was required to have blood transfusions every four weeks. She often asks why she must go to hospital and her twin brother, cousins or friends don't have to. The process is very stressful and understandably she is very anxious during these visits.

Cricket has been a welcome distraction in our household during these challenging times. Inaaya has joined us at the family fun days and has been there to cheer me on when taking part in softball tournaments with Bradford Park Avenue Ladies. It's such good fun, everyone's very supportive and encouraging - it's a positive environment that I'm grateful to be part of.

Inaaya began to show an interest in cricket aged six, and so when I saw that All Stars Cricket sessions were being run locally, I signed her up along with her two cousins.

I've always been interested in the sport and enjoyed the social aspect of being involved with a club so I decided to also volunteer as an activator and support some of the sessions, while also meeting new women from a variety of backgrounds and ages in the process.

When Inaaya was old enough to take part in Dynamos, she was really excited as she felt she was ready to progress her cricket skills and the