This weekend’s Vitality Blast Finals Day will support the Professional Cricketers’ Trust, the charitable wing of the Professional Cricketers’ Association.
The organisation, which was supported by Stuart Broad during his 2019 testimonial year, offers life-changing assistance to cricketers, including the provision of a Confidential Helpline run by the Sporting Chance Clinic, specialist medical equipment, emotional counselling and more.
Broad described the charity as “critical for players” before he made a donation late last year.
Meanwhile, former Notts batsman Josh Mierkalns received the support of the Trust after he suffered a life-threatening intestinal condition, with the charity helping him back into work.
The charity has supported a range of PCA members, from former cricketers like Winston Davis, who became paralysed from the waist down after a tragic accident in 1997, right through to current England internationals like Dom Bess, who recently opened up about his mental health struggles in conversation with Marcus Trescothick.
The Trust has offered mental health support to 283 individuals since 2017. That includes a significant spike towards the end of this Covid-19 affected season, which has increased anxiety around financial uncertainty caused by short-term contracts.
Fans watching Finals Day from home will be able to text to donate to the charity, whilst other fundraising activities will include an online auction and raffle, as well as the sale of merchandise adorned with the Professional Cricketers’ Trust logo.
2020 has seen the charity face a shortfall of up to £250,000, as a result of much of the PCA’s annual events calendar being wiped out. As a result, the need for support from the cricketing community and general public alike has never been greater for the Trust.
Donate to the Professional Cricketers’ Trust here, or text ‘TRUSTCRICKET’ followed by any amount between 3 and 20 to 70085 to donate between £3 - £20 to the Professional Cricketers’ Trust. For example, ‘TRUSTCRICKET10’ to donate £10.