An entrepreneur has come to the rescue of one of the stars of Freddie Flintoff’s TV programme Field of Dreams.
Teenage Afghan refugee Adnan Miakhel shot to prominence on the hit show, which followed Flintoff’s attempts to build a cricket team for disadvantaged youngsters.
Miakhel arrived in the UK as a 15-year-old unable to read, write or speak a word of English but viewers saw he had talent for cricket.
Now aged 19, Miakhel made his debut earlier this season for Lancashire’s 2nd XI but off-the-pitch he’d been struggling without a car of his own.
The youngster lives in Chorley with his foster parents Elaine Jefferson, 74, and Barry Brocklehurst, 84, and was largely having to rely on them to ferry him to matches and training sessions.
After learning of his struggles, businessman Dez Derry intervened by giving the youngster his long-term partner’s Volkswagen Golf, worth around £10,000.
Miakhel said: “I can’t thank Dez enough. I’m so grateful. It’s made such a difference. I play around three matches a week and train twice.”
The allrounder signed for Newton-le-Willows Cricket Club this season and regularly clocks up 300 miles a week.
“It wasn’t fair on Baz to be driving me around the country,” explained Miakhel. “Sometimes I don’t leave the ground until 9pm and I couldn’t expect Baz to come and pick me up.”
Dez Derry was adopted with his two brothers in the late 80s after suffering years of physical abuse and were the first Indian siblings to be adopted by a white family.
He became a charity ambassador for Adoption Matters and Foster Care Matters because of his own experiences. Driven by the rate of children entering the care system, Dez works with the charity to raise awareness of fostering and adoption and highlight the positive impact adoptive and foster parents can have on a young person’s life.
Derry said: ‘My Mom and Dad saved 3 indian boys’ lives when they fostered and then adopted me and my two brothers. We were damaged and broken but that didn’t stop them. We came from Indian heritage and Sikh religion, it was very complicated. No one else would take all 3 of us on! It was the late 80’s when white people didn’t have brown children. Money was tight. There were so many reasons not to take us on, but they did! I’ll forever be so proud and so grateful to them.
“I owe them everything. I think the best way to show them just how grateful I am is to help other young people in care find parents like them.”
Over the last decade there has been a 17% increase in the number of children in care across the UK, with England seeing a 19% increase (83,630 children) since 2014.
During 2023-24, just 2,980 children were adopted in England, marking the 9th year of continual decreases in the number of adoptions since a peak in 2015.
Some children wait much longer for an adoptive family, particularly those who are part of sibling groups, are older, have additional needs, or come from Black or ethnic minority backgrounds.
(Department for Health & Social Care 2024, Department for Education 2024, Department for Health 2024)
Derry is also on a mission to address the stigma that comes with being fostered or adopted and is encouraging young people in the care system to pursue their dreams.
The founder of Blume said: “I met Adnan earlier this year and you only need to spend five minutes with him to feel his warmth, kindness, politeness, manners, drive and determination to play cricket for England.
“I was really moved by Adnan’s foster parents Elaine and Barry, who instantly reminded me of my own white foster parents, who went on to adopt my brothers and I and are now in their 80s. They changed our lives, just like Elaine and Barry are changing Adnan’s life.
“As his cricket career was taking off I became aware he needed a reliable car so when my partner decided to change her car I couldn’t think of a better new home for it than with Adnan.”
His foster mother Elaine Jefferson said: “It’s such an amazing gesture by Dez. The car gives Adnan his independence.
“His cricket takes up most of his week but he also likes to go to the mosque or to the gym.
“Adnan does a lot of driving so needs a reliable car and we couldn’t afford it until Dez stepped in.
“Even though the car has a black box the insurance still costs more than £3,000 a year.”
Jefferson and Brocklehurst are approved foster parents with Lancashire County Council and saw their financial support reduced when Adnan turned 18.
“Although Adnan plays a lot of cricket he doesn’t earn much money,” said Jefferson. “Thanks to Dez he can now pursue his dream of becoming a professional cricketer.”
Miakhel has recently finished Rossall School, in Fleetwood, and has put university aspirations on hold to pursue his dream of becoming a professional cricketer.
“The next 18 months are critical to my cricket career and that’s why having my own car is so important,” he said.
