To celebrate 20 Years of Hawks we set out an ambitious target in September: to deliver 20 Community projects or events that will improve the lives of the community around us. We want to make a difference on and off the court, fostering the power of participation from our Hawks netball family.

Our 20 events will span a variety of streams from local Leicester volunteering, to fundraising to opening up netball to groups and communities who are less likely to access the sport.

For our fundraising efforts, we are raising cash to support our Community Schools Programme which will sponsor 10 girls from inner city schools to join us for a year free of charge.

We're inviting all of our Hawks family to a pledge night next week - to stand up and offer their help across any of the streams. Many of our teams have come up with plans for fundraising events or community volunteering, and on Monday 11th December everyone can sign up to be part of an organised event, or put forward their own pledge.

Examples of what we'll see include:

• Fundraising: Quiz nights, sponsored fitness challenges, raffles and bake sales
• Local independent businesses: Sales of bespoke Hawks gifts and crafting sessions that will donate proceeds from sales/tickets sold to our community project
• Spreading the Joy: Bag packing, and hospice/care home visits
• Green Guardians - Litter-picking and tree-planting activities with local environmental groups
• Netball Extravaganzas: Collaborating with local schools, groups and holiday clubs to deliver netball coaching sessions, workshops, or fun-filled netball experiences. Inspiring the next generation of netballers and nurturing a love for sports.
• Skill-Sharing Workshops: Tapping into the talents of our netball community by organising skill-sharing workshops. From cooking and self-defence classes to floristry workshops, letting the community learn and contribute simultaneously.

To make the sign up event more fun (and festive) we have a small selection of Christmas craft stalls, a cake sale, a junior Christmas quiz and warming mulled wine and hot chocolate!

We're ready to make our 20th anniversary a celebration of community, inclusivity, and positive change.