The Tom Maynard Trust has teamed up with leading cricket equipment manufacturer Gunn & Moore to provide support for one Academy player at each of the two counties Tom played for, Glamorgan and Surrey, with the establishment of a new TMGM Bursary.
For each of the next three years, Gunn & Moore will provide cricket equipment for one player identified by the two counties concerned, supporting them with bats, pads gloves and helmets for the first two years they spend on their respective academy programmes.
Selections will be made by the two counties, Glamorgan and Surrey, working with the Trust, with the successful recipients of the new TMGM Bursary (Tom Maynard Gunn & Moore) announced in September.
On behalf of the Tom Maynard Trust, Mike Fatkin said: This is a fantastic initiative on the part of Gunn & Moore, and we're grateful to have had the blessing of Hugh Morris at Glamorgan and Richard Gould at Surrey in getting it underway. One of our primary objects as a charity is to provide assistance where it is most needed for youngsters making their way in sport and this sort of support is going to be helping exactly where it is needed, with two young cricketers each year benefiting by having equipment provided for them free of charge.
Peter Wright, Managing Director of Gunn & Moore, said: Having had close relationships with both Tom and, before him, his father Matthew, we were really keen to be involved in the work of the Tom Maynard Trust and after speaking with them it struck us all that coming up with something specifically to help the two counties Tom played for would be a really good way of helping out. The people running the Trust are people we both like and respect and we're absolutely delighted to be able to support their objects in this small way by establishing the TMGM Bursary scheme.
Supporting young cricketers with grants is one of four main areas of work covered by the Tom Maynard Trust, each with the aim of providing support for aspiring young sportsmen and women who may not otherwise have the opportunity to live their dreams. These are:
Grants: Encouraging grant applications to help young people with different aspects of their career development, including bursaries, help with training and some aspects of their education, financial support for overseas placements and assistance with kit and equipment.
Education: Working work with a growing number of other agencies across the UK, in cricket, football, rugby union and rugby league, to provide support for raising awareness of some of the pitfalls of a career in sport, helping with education and induction programmes for sportspeople making their way in sport.
Academy: Providing specialist coaching and other technical and professional support for a selected group of emerging and developing county cricketers each year, attending a ten day residential camp every February, with outdoor grass nets, at the Desert Springs Resort in Almeria, Spain.
Scholarship: In partnership with a small but committed group of Tom's schoolfriends, we support fundraising towards the establishment of a Tom Maynard Scholarship at Millfield School. This involves direct fundraising for pre-identified projects and functions with the blessing of the Trustees
Donations to the Trust can be made either via the Just Giving link on the website or by contacting Mike Fatkin at 67a Radnor Road, Canton, Cardiff CF5 1RA. Cheques should be made payable to 'The Tom Maynard Trust'.
Applications for grant aid from the Trust can be made by emailing mike.fatkin@live.co.uk
For more information on the Trust, visit the website: http://www.tommaynardtrust.com/
Gunn & Moore was founded in 1885 and is one of the world's leading cricket equipment providers. Based in Nottingham, their clients include Joe Root, Graeme Smith, Shane Watson, Alex Hales and Sarah Taylor.
For more information on G&M, visit their website: http://www.gm-cricket.com/