By RYAN PLANT
Long Sutton Cricket Club will welcome Help for Heroes for a day of cricket this summer, to raise funds and boost awareness for their cause.
The charity provides recovery aid to Armed Forces personnel who have been wounded in the line of duty and their families, through support centres, community programmes, grants and more.
Their cricket team, made up of veterans of the services from around the country, will face Long Sutton at Paradise Field in two Twenty20 matches on Saturday, August 7 starting at noon.
Rob Simpson, a veteran of 23 years and key player for Long Sutton, has led the organisation of the event alongside Help for Heroes’ Fundraising Manager for Central England, Dean Williams.
Simpson said: “This means a lot to me. I have seen first hand how people are affected by working in the services, physically and mentally. I have seen how hard things come down on people.
“By inviting the Help for Heroes team here, it helps them in more ways than just financially. Playing sport is a way to recover from these things and if we can help them in every way we can, that’s a huge win for all involved.
“Long Sutton have signed a community partnership with Help for Heroes for at least two years to commit to raising money, which I think is a great idea. It’s good for these people to meet others from wider communities.
“They are all seriously dedicated to their cause and this team. Some of their players are coming from as far as Cornwall to play. In these times lots of charities have sadly really struggled to raise funds for the brilliant work they do, so we wanted to help as best we could. Let’s show them the very best of Long Sutton.
“I hope we all enjoy ourselves on what should be a great day of celebration.”
On top of welcoming donations, there will also be two raffles during the day. Prizes include a personally-made cricket bat by XX Cricket of Norfolk worth up to £350 and signed memorabilia from Premier League side Norwich City.
Covid restrictions should be lifted by August, so the day will be open to the general public and the clubhouse bar will be open for refreshments.
Anybody wishing to donate, find out more information about the day or contribute prizes for the raffle should contact Long Sutton or visit Paradise Field.
