Trio of Sussex charities boosted by cricket auction

The Crew Club, RISE and the Starr Trust have each been donated £1,859.60 to help with the fantastic work they do in our community having been nominated by Sussex Cricket supporters. The Crew Club in Whitehawk enables children and young people to take part in a wide range of activities in one of the most deprived areas of Brighton & Hove, RISE supports people affected by domestic abuse and violence in Brighton & Hove, while The Starr Trust aims to support young people aged 10 –18 in fulfilling their potential through sports, arts and education. The donations complete the distribution of the auction proceeds. Brighton & Hove Food Partnership was the first charity to receive a share, which was used to fund the ‘In the Bag’ initiative last summer. Sussex Cricket Foundation received the remaining balance of the £9,294 raised which will be put towards the work the charitable arm of Sussex Cricket does to actively change lives through cricket across the community. ‘Together Through This Test’ was a nationwide campaign by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to shine a light on the amazing work that has taken place across the game in response to COVID-19. As part of this, a charity auction was organised in partnership with all 18 first-class counties, the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), was set-up to raise money for local charities across England and Wales. Lots provided by Sussex Cricket, its sponsors, friends and supporters ended up generating over a quarter of the £35,217 raised in total, which is now being used to make a difference in our local community via Sussex Cricket Foundation and the four charities nominated by visitors to the Sussex Cricket website. News on how The Crew Club, RISE and The Starr Trust used their donations will follow later in the year. Details of Brighton & Hove Food Partnership’s ‘In the Bag’ initiative are available here. Gary Wallis Tayler, Sussex Cricket’s community cricket director, said, “I am thrilled to be able to support The Crew Club, The Starr Trust and RISE, through monies we raised on our online auction. To be able to support our communities during this challenging time is of high importance to us all at Sussex Cricket and to be able to support them through this fund will enable each charity to continue running their initiatives which benefit many people across the county.” Darren Snow MBE, The Crew Club manager and co-founder, said, "We are very pleased to be a beneficiary of the 'Together Through This Test' initiative. Sussex Cricket have really stepped up to the plate when it comes to supporting local communities. We really value our partnership with them. The funds that we will receive through this initiative will go towards our 2021/22 sporting opportunities for children, young people and their families." Nicola Davies, fundraising and communications manager at RISE, said, “RISE would like to thank Sussex Cricket for nominating us to benefit from the ‘Together Through This Test’ initiative, and to everyone who placed bids on the online auction. In the last year we have seen calls to our helpline increase threefold, so we are incredibly grateful for the generosity of our local community to allow us to continue this vital work. Incidences of domestic abuse have increased locally, nationally and indeed globally during the pandemic, and donations such as this mean we can continue to be a lifeline for those who need it most.” Robert Starr, chairman and founder of The Starr Trust said, “We were amazed and delighted to receive this incredible gift from Sussex Cricket. More now than ever, with so many fund-raising events cancelled and our income reduced to almost nothing, it is wonderful to receive such a huge sum that we can use to keep championing young people in the city. Thank you so much to all at Sussex Cricket and for those who took the time to put the Starr Trust forward.” About Sussex Cricket Foundation As Sussex Cricket’s charitable arm, Sussex Cricket Foundation’s aim is to actively change lives through cricket across the community. We use the game and the Sussex Cricket brand to deliver accessible and enjoyable opportunities that grow the sport, tackle inequalities, improve health and wellbeing and enable people to fulfil their potential. Find out more at www.sussexcricket.co.uk. About The Crew Club The Crew Club is an award-winning community led charity that provides opportunities for children, young people and families; enabling them to take part in a wide range of activities in one of the most deprived areas of the Brighton & Hove from our purpose built, state of the art youth & community centre with outdoor sports facilities. https://www.crewclub.co.uk/ About RISE RISE is a Brighton based domestic abuse charity that has worked for 26 years to end all forms of violence and abuse against women, their families and those identifying as LGBTQ+. Their essential services include specialist one-to-one therapy, therapeutic survivor groups, an LGBTQ+ refuge, work with children and families, as well as community engagement projects. https://www.riseuk.org.uk/ About The Starr Trust The Starr Trust was formed in 2008 with the purpose of championing young people to be the best that they can be in Sport, Art & Education. Since our formation we have provided funding and support for over 5000 young people throughout Greater Brighton and raised over £1million in sponsorship. All our running costs are covered by our founding family and therefore all fundraising and donations are used to help young people in the area. https://starrtrust.org