Sydney Thunder and Children's Cricket Charity have made a donation of cricket equipment and clothing to the Kent Cricket Club. The equipment donated included batting gloves, wicketkeeping gloves, helmets, batting pads, bats, tight pads, shirts and trousers. Sydney Thunder is a well-known T20 team that competes in the women’s and men’s Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia. Sydney Thunder is a club for all people of the 'Thunder Nation', and their purpose is to be a loved club that inspires and unites their Thunder Nation. The Thunder Nation stretches across Western Sydney, Regional New South Wales and overseas. Commenting on the donation, Jonathan Lees, Community Engagement Specialist, Sydney Thunder, said: "We are committed to making a real and genuine contribution to communities in Australia and abroad. Sydney Thunder is passionate about working with like-minded organisations, and we were excited about the opportunity to support the great work of the Kent Cricket Club in Sierra Leone."
"It is fantastic to see the Kent Cricket Club in Sierra Leone being proactive and looking to engage the community in the sport of cricket. We know that building strong relationships takes time, and we are excited to work with Kent Cricket Club to help grow the game of cricket in Sierra Leone." "We are hoping that the donation of equipment and clothing will help inspire people in the local community to get involved with cricket. A big thanks to Tamara Lowe of Children’s Cricket Charity for her ongoing work in overseas locations", Lees concluded. Tamara J Lowe, Founder, Children's Cricket Charity, who have been supporting Kent Cricket Club over the years, was the brain behind linking Kent and Sydney Thunder. Tamara did fantastic work to ensure that the donation was made possible. She said: "I am pleased to be able to support the wonderful cricket-related humanitarian work done in Sierra Leone by Kent Cricket Club and Emmanuel Pessima.”
A word of thanks also goes to Bill Hartnett, who transferred the equipment and clothing from Australia to the UK before it was shipped to Freetown. Receiving the equipment and clothing in Freetown, Emmanuel Pessima, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Kent Cricket Club Limited, said: "We are excited to be able to receive a donation of equipment from Australia, and this shows that people recognized what we are doing in Sierra Leone. On behalf of everyone at Kent Cricket Club, we would like to thank Sydney Thunder and Children's Cricket Charity for their generous support to our grassroots programme. As always, we will ensure that this equipment and clothing are used in the best manner."