Airline and Freight Forwarder Aid Charity in Cricket Inspired Program

WEST INDIES – With the five match series of T20 cricket between the West Indies and England less than half finished at the time of writing, comes news of an exciting program of kit donations scheduled for 2022 across the world, and which kicked off this week in Barbados.

Courtesy of sponsor Energy and the support of Virgin Atlantic Cargo and global freight and supply chain experts The Woodland Group, the Bat For A Chance charity provided kit to girls who would otherwise not have access to the sport at Springer Memorial Secondary Girls School, Christ Church Girls Primary School, and to the University of the West Indies Female Cricket Team in Barbados. The deliveries were made through local partners plus former Middlesex and England star Roland Butcher and Cricket West Indies. Bat For A Chance founder and CEO, Will Gaffney, said:

“We are so grateful to Energy, Virgin Atlantic Cargo, The Woodland Group, Roland Butcher and Cricket West Indies for helping us bring this project together. It is a great start to 2022, a year which will see us bring together corporates and donors in tangible investment into cricket projects in the UK and globally. Bat For A Chance has the simple aim of breaking down barriers which prevent people from having access to opportunities to play the wonderful game of cricket. We are also delighted to have Chris Jordan and Lydia Greenway on board as our Ambassadors to help us deliver this goal.”

Energy, a leading manufacturer of construction equipment, has sponsored the purchase of the kit to be donated in Barbados alongside equipment collected for Bat For A Chance by Sussex Cricket Foundation. Energy CEO Kevin Morris said his company was delighted to support this coming-together of companies and people looking to do something positive through sport, and credited Will Gaffney for making it happen. The kit donations will be overseen by the charity’s new global ambassador, and Surrey and England player Chris Jordan, who said:

“I am so proud of what Will Gaffney and the charity are doing for kids in Barbados. Hopefully, some future stars of West Indies cricket will learn to love the game because of the really important work being done here today.”

Also born in Barbados is former Middlesex and England player Roland Butcher, generally recognised as the first black player to represent England. He commented on the new initiative, saying:

“It is amazing to see how cricket continues to inspire young people to do great things. The Bat For A Chance initiative is a brilliant example of young people making a difference by making sport accessible. It is really fitting that the first global ambassador for this brilliant initiative is a fellow Barbadian, and fellow England cricketer Chris Jordan, and that the first kit-drop of 2022 is in Barbados, where I made my debut for England.

”I hope this is the beginning of a long relationship between the charity and Barbados. I am delighted to be working with Will, Chris and the teams which will benefit from the generous donations of kit and look forward to the charity going from strength to strength.”

Last word goes to Paul Fallon, Head of Commercial at Virgin Atlantic Cargo who concluded:

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce our partnership with Bat For A Chance to bring our expertise in transporting cargo to such a worthy project. We’re also grateful for the support of our freight forwarding partner, Woodland Group, in supporting this shipment. At Virgin Atlantic, our purpose is to empower everyone to take on the world and use our business as a force for good, through our communities, our people, and our partners. 

”Partnering with Bat For A Chance means Virgin Atlantic Cargo is able to bring a real opportunity for children to participate in this wonderful sport and experience the joy of cricket, in both Barbados and across the world. As we look to the future, we can’t wait to see what this partnership holds next, as we continue working together in this exciting chapter.”

Photo: Presentation of the kit on January 24 in front of the statue of Sir Garfield Sobers outside the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.