In 2017, I became a trustee of the Cricketers’ Trust, a charity which exists to look after current and former players at their point of need. In the years since then, I’ve seen so many sad cases. But I’ve also been privileged to witness first-hand the charity’s success in helping people to rebuild their lives and move forward with confidence.
This weekend, at the Vitality Blast Finals Day, we’ll have one of our biggest fundraising days of the year. We’ll also be telling the stories of two special guests that are being actively supported by the Trust.
Shaun Udal is currently battling Parkinson’s disease. At the same time, he’s trying to work and live a normal family life. The Trust has been able to support him with important physiotherapy, which wouldn’t normally be available to someone with Parkinson’s. The aim is to delay the illness taking over his life.
David Lawrence, another former England bowler and the current Gloucestershire president, has recently been diagnosed with MND. We’ve stepped in quickly to buy a bespoke chair and help with some adjustments to the house, to make his and his family’s life a lot more comfortable.
But our work doesn’t just help past players. When Tom Smith, who’ll be playing on Saturday, lost his wife Laura to cancer in 2018, he was a professional cricketer with two young girls to look after. We funded childcare provision and helped wherever we could to support him and his girls as they went through the worst experience of their lives.
Ultimately, we’re a cricket charity looking after cricket people. In times of crisis, we’re the physical representation of the game looking after its own, both during and after their playing careers.
For example, there are ex-players out there who’ve played for 20 years and haven’t got much money. They’re stuck on years-long NHS waiting lists. If we can fund a new knee or a hip replacement, it’s absolutely life-changing to them.
We don’t just offer medical support. We’re also there through periods of hardship, and one of our largest areas is mental health support stretching across depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and addictive behaviours. We do educational work around drink, gambling, and drive safety. And we run a 24-hour confidential mental health helpline.
In the first six months of 2024, we’ve handled 61 mental health referrals – a 20% rise on the same period in 2023. Of those referrals, 47% were current players. And every year since 2021, we’ve processed more than 100 mental health cases.
Last year, the ECB made a hugely important £50,000 donation to the Trust. Knowing that the governing body wants to support a charity that looks after its own participants is so valuable. Richard Gould is a huge supporter, having been on many of our charity challenges over the years, and Richard Thompson also understands the importance of our work.
Now, we’re humbly asking cricket fans to help us keep helping those who need it most. Anyone watching or attending the Vitality Blast Finals Day will see our fundraising message. In the ground, there’ll be signage for our ‘Text to Donate’ scheme. The same message will also be visible on Sky Sports. I’m hoping we can have a hugely successful day. Our cricketers deserve it.
You can support the Cricketers’ Trust by donating today. Text TRUSTTEN or TRUSTTWENTY to 70085 to donate £10 or £20. Texts cost £10 or £20, plus one standard network rate message. 100% of your donation will support the work of the Cricketers’ Trust. You can also donate online.