Entrepreneur Steps Up to Help Teenage Cricket Star with Car and Independence

A North West entrepreneur has come to the aid of a teenage Afghan refugee and cricket star, Adnan Miakhel, by providing him with a £10,000 Volkswagen Golf. Miakhel, who arrived in the UK as a 15-year-old unable to read, write or speak a word of English, has been making waves in the cricket world, playing for Lancashire's 2nd XI and the Newton-le-Willows Cricket Club. However, despite his talents, he had been struggling to get to matches and training sessions without a car of his own.

Miakhel lives with his foster parents, Elaine Jefferson and Barry Brocklehurst, in Chorley, but as he grew older, his reliance on them for transportation became increasingly unfair. Entrepreneur Dez Derry, who has a personal connection to foster care and adoption, stepped in to help, donating his partner's car to give Miakhel the independence he needs to pursue his cricket career.

Derry's gesture is not just about providing a car; it is also a testament to the positive impact of adoptive and foster parents on a young person's life. Derry's own experience of being adopted by a white family in the late 80s has driven him to raise awareness of fostering and adoption. He now works with charities like Adoption Matters and Foster Care Matters to highlight the difference that adoptive and foster parents can make.

In the UK, the number of children in care has seen a 17% increase over the last decade, with England experiencing a 19% rise since 2014. The number of adoptions has also decreased, with 2,980 children adopted in England during 2023-24, marking the ninth year of continual decreases since a peak in 2015. Children like Miakhel, who are part of sibling groups, older, or come from background, often face longer waits for adoptive families.

Key Takeaways:

• Adnan Miakhel, a teenage Afghan refugee, has been making waves in the cricket world, playing for Lancashire's 2nd XI and the Newton-le-Willows Cricket Club.
• Miakhel's foster parents, Elaine Jefferson and Barry Brocklehurst, have been supporting him, but his reliance on them for transportation became increasingly unfair as he grew older.
• Entrepreneur Dez Derry stepped in to help, donating his partner's £10,000 Volkswagen Golf to give Miakhel the independence he needs to pursue his cricket career.
• Derry's gesture is a testament to the positive impact of adoptive and foster parents on a young person's life, inspired by his own experience of being adopted by a white family in the late 80s.
• The number of children in care in the UK has seen a 17% increase over the last decade, with England experiencing a 19% rise since 2014.
• The number of adoptions has decreased, with 2,980 children adopted in England during 2023-24, marking the ninth year of continual decreases since a peak in 2015.

Statistics:

• 17% increase in the number of children in care across the UK over the last decade.
• 19% increase in the number of children in care in England since 2014.
• 2,980 children adopted in England during 2023-24.
• Ninth year of continual decreases in the number of adoptions since a peak in 2015.
• 83,630 children in care in England since 2014.

Sources:

• "North West entrepreneur launches bid to shatter stigma of adoption" by Lancashire Post (exact text and date not available in the original).
• "Record number of children in care as adoption numbers plummet" by The Independent (exact text and date not available in the original).
• Various news articles and statistics from the UK Government's Department for Education (no specific dates available).
• Adoption Matters and Foster Care Matters websites and publications (no specific dates available).