Children bowled over by visit from cricket stars

  • Date: 20 February 2020
  • In: India

Our teams in India were delighted to welcome members of Lancashire Cricket Club recently during their pre-season tour of the country.

 

Calling in to see our work around the stations of Mumbai, the players and management from the club were both inspired and humbled to see the conditions the children deal with every day.

Players Tom Hartley, Jack Morley and Head of Cricket Business, Warren Hegg, handed out gifts and met members of staff, while our teams explained our work to keep the hundreds of children who arrive alone at the stations safe from harm. They were shown our help desks that offer 24-hour support as well as the shelters we provide so that children have somewhere safe to stay while we trace their families.

 

AN EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE

Jack, bowler for Lancashire Cricket Club, said: “As young cricketers, we are in a privileged position and very fortunate to be able to travel the world doing what we love, but we realise that not all young children get the same opportunities as us. It has been great to meet the staff here at Dadar and see just a small part of the excellent work Railway Children does across India.”

Warren added: “Community outreach is an important part of Lancashire Cricket, whether it be at home in Greater Manchester or other places we visit across the world, and so we were delighted to get the opportunity to support such an important project. To see some of the children here with smiles on their faces after going through so much in their short lives is heart-warming and we hope our visit has gone a small way to helping the charity in the vital work they do.”

USING CRICKET TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER

CEO of Railway Children India, Navin Sellaraju, said: “No matter what your age, background, status or religion - nothing unites people across India like cricket. To have players from one of England’s top teams visiting us and having a game with the children we work with has been an incredible experience. Many of these children have been through so much already in their difficult lives, so it has been great to see them laughing, smiling and playing cricket like any other child in India.

“Thank you so much to Lancashire Cricket Club for making the time to come and visit us during their pre-season tour and good luck with the next season.”