Support the Professional Cricketers’ Trust on Finals Day

The Professional Cricketers’ Trust is asking for your support on Vitality Blast Finals Day to navigate through the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, in a year when professional cricket’s leading charity is set to face a fundraising shortfall of up to £250,000.

The players’ charity offers support to PCA members and their immediate families when they need it most. Assistance from the Trust can range from emotional counselling right through to the provision of specialist medical equipment and more.

Since 2017, the Trust has supported 283 cases in the area of mental health alone, with a recent spike in demand due to rising anxiety around short-term contracts, given that the average career in professional cricket comes to an end at the age of just 26.

With that in mind, this year’s Vitality Blast Finals Day will be in support of the Trust, with both funds and awareness being raised for the charity throughout the day.

Gloucestershire off-spinner Tom Smith will be at Edgbaston on Saturday after his side qualified through the quarter-finals on Thursday. Smith has leant on the Trust for support both before and after the heartbreaking death of wife Laura, and will take the field this weekend alongside teammates Benny Howell and Gareth Roderick, who each recalled their own personal relationship with the charity in an interview on Tuesday.

The Trust supports every aspect of the cricket family, from up-and-coming players to former stars. 62-year-old Winston Davis has been an inspiration to many in recounting his story of becoming paralysed from the waist down following a car accident. Davis received delivery of a specialist vehicle via the Trust to aid his mobility.

On Friday, ex-Hampshire and Kent man David Griffiths revealed his very personal family story in order to highlight the work of the charity. In late 2019, Griffiths flew across the world to donate a kidney to sister Emma, and in doing so saved her life after she had been suffering from severe kidney scarring.

On Finals Day, there are a number of ways you can support the Professional Cricketers’ Trust. You can donate via text or our JustGiving page, and there will also be an online auction and raffle, as well as the sale of New Balance merchandise adorned with the Trust logo.

Text ‘TRUSTCRICKET’ followed by any amount between three and 20 to 70085 to donate between £3 – £20 to the Professional Cricketers’ Trust. For example, ‘TRUSTCRICKET10’ to donate £10.

Alternatively, you can head to our JustGiving page to donate online!

Our bespoke merchandise range, produced on behalf of the Trust by New Balance has gone live with all proceeds going directly to the players’ charity.

Items on offer include t-shirts, hoodies, bobble hats and caps, and you can find out more by visiting the New Balance website.

Current playing PCA members have done their bit to support the Trust on Finals Day. Each of the 18 first-class counties has donated a Vitality Blast shirt signed by their squads into a raffle, with all proceeds again going to the Trust.

Each entry costs £5, and upon sign-up you can choose your preferred county, with one shirt per Blast squad up for grabs.

With no live auction possible at this year’s NatWest Cricket Awards, which also takes place on Finals Day, we’ve taken the annual fundraising event online.

Items on offer include a signed England World Cup winning shirt, numerous limited edition signed prints, an evening with sporting legends and more. Visit our dedicated auction site to find out more.