The Essex Eagles helped raise £1357 for Panathlon during their 2022 T20 Vitality Blast campaign thanks to a fundraising campaign by our sponsors Woodland Group.
Woodland Group – one of the country’s leading independent supply chain companies and longstanding partner to both Panathlon and Essex Cricket – pledged to donate £1 to Panathlon for every run scored by the Eagles throughout their seven home matches in this summer’s Vitality Blast.
Saturday’s record-breaking total of 254 runs in their final fixture against Glamorgan (the highest T20 total in 20 years at Chelmsford!) capped a fantastic final haul of 1357 runs.
Man of the Match, Dan Lawrence, scored 71 from 37 balls on Saturday and helped hand over the cheque for the final total alongside Woodland Group Chief Executive Kevin Stevens, Company Secretary John Stubbings and Woodland Logistics Managing Director Sean Kirby,.
Harry Bowtell, Adil Ghani and several Panathlon competitors and Young Leaders were invited to the match by Woodland Group as special guests. Local boy Harry was a Jack Petchey Foundation award-winning competitor with Panathlon before becoming a volunteer and progressing into a paid role with us as an event leader. Adil was also a Panathlete whilst a pupil at Marjorie McClure School in Chislehurst and is now on our Board of Trustees.
“It’s been amazing that current competitors, Young Leaders and school staff have witnessed the action tonight, as well as some old timers like me and Harry,” said Adil. “Massive thanks to Woodland for a fantastic day and for their sterling support for Panathlon.”
Woodland Group has been a major Panathlon supporter since 2011, allowing us to expand our programmes of sporting competitions for children with disabilities and special needs across Essex and beyond.
Their fundraising partnership with Essex County Cricket Club is just the latest in a long line of innovative and benevolent ideas to generate funds for Panathlon.
Seventeen Woodland staff recently raised £12,500 by taking part in the gruelling 100-mile RideLondon event. In 2019 several colleagues completed the Three Peaks Challenge and in 2014 they conquered the London to Paris cycle ride. Woodland staff also volunteer regularly at Panathlon competitions throughout the year.
Woodland Group Chairman and CEO, Kevin Stevens, added: “We’ve been able to support both Panathlon and Essex Cricket for more than a decade now. We are aligned in our shared values of creating opportunity and connection through sport. Being able to collaborate on creating awareness of and raising funds for the all-important work Panathlon does, and seeing the impact made at local level, has made this season extra special for all of us at Woodland Group.”
Panathlon CEO Ashley Iceton commented: “Our friends at Woodland Group have been stalwart supporters of our charity over the last decade. Their extraordinary efforts and ideas have helped us give thousands more children with disabilities and special needs sporting opportunities that they may otherwise have been denied. We thank them and Essex Eagles wholeheartedly for their batting exploits!
“A big thank you also to Ruth Howlett, Partnerships Manager at Essex CCC, and finally good luck to the Essex Eagles for their quarter-final match at Lancashire!”
The final rundown of Essex Eagles’ totals in their T20 Vitality Blast matches at Chelmsford were as
follows:
| Hampshire | 31st May | 152 |
| Kent | 7th June | 135 |
| Middlessex | 10th June | 186 |
| Sussex | 17th June | 244 |
| Somerset | 19th June | 188 |
| Surrey | 24th June | 198 |
| Glamorgan | 2nd July | 254 |
| Total | 1357 |
