Dan Worrall and Jordan Clark will be fundraising during the Warwickshire fixture to support their charity bike ride from The Kia Oval to Paris, organised by the Professional Cricketer’s Trust (PCT).
There will be a raffle on each of Days 1-3 of this week’s fixture with prizes including a shirt signed by the Surrey squad, the pair of used match balls from Dan Worrall’s 10 wickets in a match against Essex last year, and other exclusive signed items.
The two Surrey cricketers will cycle around 250 miles over three days, starting at The Kia Oval on Tuesday 10 October, coinciding with World Mental Health Day. Providing the perfect opportunity to bring mental health to the forefront of people’s minds, the PCT will use the awareness day to highlight the need to raise funds to combat the growing trend of welfare and wellbeing issues amongst former players.
As well as supporting the PCT, the pair wanted to get behind Dravet Syndrome UK (DSUK) in the memory of Florence Dunn. Florence, daughter of our team-mate Matt Dunn, passed away in March this year after bravely living with the condition for over a year.
Dravet Syndrome UK are a charity dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by Dravet Syndrome through support, education and medical research. The charity supported Florence, and the Dunn family, throughout her life with the condition.
The first £3,200 raised will go to the PCT. After this, every pound raised will be donated to the DSUK charity.
Speaking about their motivation for the challenge, Dan Worrall said, “The Professional Cricketers’ Trust plays a crucial role in supporting cricketers and their families when times get tough. As professional players, we understand the importance of having a somewhere to turn to when you need it most.
“We wanted to show our support for Matt and for the Dunn family as well. There’s not a lot we can say to Matt to change things, but there’s a lot we can do and we wanted to make a difference to the charity that helped the Dunn family and so many others living with Dravet Syndrome.”
Jordan Clark added, “We’re hoping to raise both funds and awareness for the Trust and DSUK. The Trust are always there for players in need during and after their careers.
“What Matt and the family have gone through is something incredibly hard but we wanted to do our bit to show support and raise some important funds for the charity that are doing some amazing work.”
The Professional Cricketers’ Trust was established to safeguard the lifelong health and wellbeing of professional cricketers and their immediate families. With a commitment to providing medical assistance, crisis helplines, and educational programs, the Trust has become a beacon of hope for cricketers in England and Wales.
Dravet Syndrome is a rare neurological condition that occurs in around one in every 15,000 births in the UK. As well as experiencing severe, difficult-to-control seizures, children and adults with Dravet Syndrome have varying degrees of intellectual disability and a spectrum of associated conditions (known as ‘comorbidities’), which may include autism, ADHD, behaviours that challenge and difficulties with speech, mobility, eating and sleep.
