Defib Fund

In 2015 The Charity sponsored a survey in our then partner magazine All Out Cricket ( now Wisden Cricket Monthly) asking readers to give priority to items which they might need if we were able to finance them.  To our genuine surprise a large number of the respondents put defibrillators as a very necessary item.

The need for this equipment has been repeatedly highlighted by the frequency of tragic deaths due to cardiac arrest on and off the cricket field. Cricket grounds are, by their nature, usually remote sites away from hospitals and not in easy reach of emergency services. 

There is only a vital FIVE MINUTE period before permanent or irreversible damage can occur. A portable defibrillator can be the saviour of an otherwise catastrophic situation.

Since then, in partnership with the ECB, we have supplied and distributed over 832 portable units to cricket teams and clubs across the UK.  The charges, through our supply partner The Community Heartbeat Trust, are at a huge discount to real costs.  They include training, insurances, notification to local emergency services and post stress counselling representing the best value for money available in the UK

Awareness of heart conditions in both the young and the old, and their susceptibility to cardiac arrest, is a threat which has been mitigated by the development of defibrillators.  It’s not just for the world of sport that these miracles of technology have been invented, and, although our fund is specific to the cricket environment, we appreciate that there is a wider awareness programme to consider.

During 2017, in partnership with the ECB, The Charity donated 104 units free of charge to cricketing organisations throughout the country, and a further 40 units on a “matched funds” basis from private trusts and foundations. These units are part of the playing kit of their recipients and are registered with their local emergency services, with training provided through the Charity.

There are over 6000 organisations where cricket is played in the UK and they all should be able to be assured, in the words of Matthew Fleming, the then President of the MCC, “that their participants have the comfort of knowing that their health and safety needs are covered – and hopefully will never be needed!”.

If you wish to apply for a portable defibrillator then please contact donna.black@club-cricket.co.uk for an application form.

We are inviting contributions with the aim of building up our fund which will save lives and gives confidence to organisations within cricket, that they have the resources to provide an immediate response to potential emergency situations.

The details of where you may contribute and donate are below.

The Club Cricket Charity
Account 63870812
Sort code 20-40-71