Current and former professional cricketers are participating in the Professional Cricketers’ Trust bike ride from London to Paris this week, with an aim of raising £50,000 for the charity.
Reaching this target would allow them to offer mental health support for 50 people.
Having departed the Kia Oval in Kennington on Tuesday, the 30 riders aim to reach the Eiffel Tower on Thursday evening, having overnighted in Portsmouth and Evreux.
Middlesex’s Martin Andersson is one of the participants, aiming to raise £2,000 for his own efforts.
Speaking before yesterday’s departure on the club’s website, he said: “I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into the cycle from London to Paris.
“The Professional Cricketers’ Trust is a fantastic charity that is there to support cricketers and their families when times get tough.
“For most of us we hope to never use the trust, but it’s great to know that help is there if we need it.”
As part of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, the trust aims to offer life-long support to cricketers and their immediate family, offering assistance through advice, rehabilitation and a 24-hour confidential helpline.
PCA Chair and Professional Cricketers’ Trust Director, James Harris, who currently plays for Glamorgan and can count Middlesex amongst his former clubs, is keen to emphasise the charity’s mental health provision.
He said: “The trust is so important, it takes care of so many people in such a fabulous way when times are hard.
“What an amazing day to start on World Mental Health Day, if we can keep raising the awareness of the brilliant work that the trust does surrounding past and present players’ mental health, then that would be great.”
The results are evident too, with 28-year-old North West Thunder all-rounder Fi Morris among a number of people who have thanked the trust for their mental health support.
The last bike ride the trust organised in 2021 saw 47 riders go from Headingly to Lords, raising £75,000 in the process.
As the trust operates with no funding partner at present, this year’s efforts will be vitally important to the charity’s provision in the coming year.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/The PCA
