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The 'Aniqa Syed Memorial Cup' annual charity cricket match is this year fundraising for The Hum Mashal-e-Rah Foundation (Beacon of light). An international charity offering inclusive services for people of all ages and all types of disabilities (see organisation details below).
Our history:
The Walthamstow Cricket Board started in 2009, when our dear friend Marshall Mir Ali sadly passed away whilst preparing for a charity bike ride, to raise money for Islamic Relief. With the aim to fulfil his cause, we arranged a charity cricket match among ourselves, which successfully raised a modest but important £800 for Marshall's chosen charity.
The following year, Hasnain Syed's (a founding member) daughter Aniqa Syed sadly passed away aged 6 months, so fundraising began in ernest for Great Ormond Street Hospital... and the 'Aniqa Syed Memorial Cup' was created under the banner of the 'Aniqa Syed Memorial Committee'.
Since then, our group of friends have come together to organise charity cricket matches to fundraise for a number of various charities over the years.
The charity cricket matches have since raised money for the following causes:
2009: £800 for Islamic Relief (in memory of Marshall Ali)
2010: £7000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital (in memory of Aniqa Syed)
2011: Raised £7300 for One Degree - Adnan Jaffery Educational Trust (in memory of Adnan Jaffery)
2013: £7000 for the National Autistic Society
2014: £4000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital
2015: £4000 for Brookfield House (Lime Trust Academy)
2016-2023: Unfortunately we were unable to continue with our events due to a number of restrictive factors
2024: £10988.50 The Edhi International Foundation UK
2025: This year we have decided to raise money for a very worthy cause, HUM MASHAL-E-RAH (Beacon of Light) Foundation.
About this year's chosen charity:
Hum Mashal-e-Rah Foundation was born from a shared dream of three close friends who deeply understood the challenges faced by individuals with special needs. Two of the founders, Amnah Aftab and Areej Farooq, are mothers to children with diverse and complex disabilities. Amnah is raising two children with cerebellar ataxia, muscular dystrophy, and epilepsy, while Areej is a devoted mother to a son with autism and intellectual disability. Their personal experiences navigating a world with limited support and resources for differently abled individuals became the driving force behind this pioneering initiative.
Their vision and scope
Founded in Pakistan, Hum Mashal-e-Rah Foundation is the first of its kind, offering inclusive services for people of all ages and all types of disabilities—whether physical, intellectual, sensory (blind, deaf), or developmental. The Foundation stands as a beacon of hope and advocacy, determined to dismantle the barriers that prevent differently abled individuals from living fulfilling, dignified, and independent lives.
Their mission is to promote, protect, and advocate for the rights and needs of differently abled individuals, intellectual or physical, so they may integrate fully within society and reach their highest potential in education, employment, and independent living.
Hum Mashal-e-Rah is committed to:
• Raising awareness about disabilities and promoting inclusive attitudes
• Providing support services for both individuals and families
• Offering training and grooming for life skills and employment
• Developing accessible resources to ensure long-term empowerment
From their humble beginnings in 2017 until today, they have opened 5 sites in the Punjab district of Pakistan, winning awards from the likes of Unicef.
Now, these friends have started a project not seen before in Pakistan.
In 2025, under the banner Noor-e-Maskan, they started the process to open Pakistan's first ever Care Home and Rehabilitation Centre in Multan.
Our friend and Aniqa Syed Memorial Foundation supporter Asim Mughal, his wife Huda, and mother, Mrs Zahida Iqbal Mughal, are UK Ambassadors for HUM MASHAL-E-RAH.
They are personally aware of the difficulties of raising a child with severe mental and physical disabilities and saw an opportunity with their experiences in the UK to support the less fortunate in Pakistan.
This is a great charity to support, and we are pleased that we can support HUM MASHAL-E-RAH, and we hope you can too.