The JB33 Foundation is delighted to announce that it has raised more than £100,000 since the Foundation was established, thanks to the incredible support of an army of fundraisers, volunteers, cricket clubs, businesses, families and individuals. The milestone marks a significant moment for the Foundation, which was established to carry on Josh Baker’s legacy by helping young people access cricket and breaking down the barriers that can prevent them from participating in the game he loved.
Over the past two years, supporters have taken on an incredible range of fundraising challenges and events, including:
24-Hour Bat-a-thon (supporting the Worcestershire Pathway)
Blue for Bakes Weekend (involving Worcestershire CCC and cricket clubs across the county)
Matt Foden’s End-to-End Wales Cycle Challenge
100K South Coast Challenge (led by Jules Alexander and her team)
School House 24-Hour Backyard Cricket Challenge at Malvern College
Worcester University Cricket Week
JB33 Foundation Golf Day
Pluxe Picnic
Worcestershire Ambassadors
Alongside numerous individual fundraising challenges, donations and events the Foundation would like to thank everyone who has played a part in reaching this incredible milestone. Whether by attending an event, taking part in a fundraising challenge, buying JB33 merchandise, volunteering their time, making a donation or simply following and sharing the Foundation’s social media posts. Every contribution has helped us make a difference.
Making a difference to young cricketers
Since the Foundation was formed, the money raised has already been used to provide practical support to young people and families facing barriers to participating in cricket. This has included:
Providing cricket equipment for children whose families are experiencing financial hardship, enabling them to join hard-ball cricket teams.
Funding additional specialist coaching for identified individuals.
Supporting children to attend cricket summer camps.
Providing financial support to a young Afghan refugee to enable him to participate in the Worcestershire Under-18 programme.
Providing funds to the Worcester Boys and Girls Pathways to allow them to support families where they feel the need is greatest.
All the JB33 Foundation team are determined that the funds raised should continue to create meaningful opportunities for young people.
Plans for the next 12 months
The Foundation is now looking ahead and strengthening its relationships with cricket clubs across Worcestershire, the Cotswold Hills League and further afield. Over the next 12 months, the Foundation plan to:
Develop its network of cricket clubs to identify and support worthwhile inclusion projects.
Provide further support for families identified through its club network.
Continue supporting the Worcestershire Pathway and Worcestershire Cricket Foundation.
Develop Young Player awards Worcestershire County League and recognise with annual trophy and equipment grant.
Expand the Foundation’s work around defibrillator awareness and emergency preparedness within cricket clubs.
Explore new ways of removing barriers to cricket for people with Type 1 diabetes.
The Foundation is also already planning its 2027 fundraising programme, which will include designated places in some of the UK’s biggest running events. Anyone interested in taking part and raising money for JB33 is encouraged to get in touch with the Foundation.
Defibrillator awareness
One of the Foundation’s important areas of work is increasing awareness around defibrillators within cricket clubs. The Foundation recognises that having an accessible defibrillator would not have saved Josh. However, Lisa and the Foundation feel passionately that greater awareness and preparedness could potentially help another individual or family in their hour of need.
Following discussions with medical professionals and a meeting with the Resuscitation Council UK, the Foundation learned that there were hundreds of defibrillators in one London borough that were not registered on the national circuit. This highlighted the importance not only of having access to a defibrillator, but ensuring that it is properly registered so that emergency services can identify it’s location when required.
Lisa has subsequently contacted cricket clubs across Worcestershire to establish:
1. Whether they have access to a defibrillator.
2. Whether their defibrillator is registered on the appropriate circuit.
The Foundation has also purchased a training defibrillator and Resusci Annie. Lisa, together with medical professionals Alison and Annalie, has offered to visit cricket clubs to provide defibrillator awareness sessions. The aim is simple: to give club members greater confidence in knowing what to do and how to use a defibrillator should an emergency ever occur.
Continuing Josh’s work around Type 1 diabetes
Another important area of work has emerged from discovering more about the work Josh himself had started before his death. Josh was living with Type 1 diabetes and, unbeknown to many at the time, had been working on a Type 1 diabetes inclusion policy for the ECB, as no specific policy was in place. The JB33 Foundation has now started conversations with a diabetes charity specialising in Type 1 diabetes to explore how it can continue the work Josh had begun.
The aim is to identify and break down barriers that may prevent children and adults living with Type 1 diabetes from participating fully in cricket. We would like to develop a CPD workshop for coaches and coaches tool kit to support coaches pitch side if they have to deal with an emergency.
A personal thank you
Lisa and Paul would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported the Foundation since it was established. We would also like to give a special thank you to our Patron and Trustees. Their support during the difficult days, together with their expertise, ideas and commitment to helping us take the Foundation forward, has been invaluable. Reaching £100,000 is a huge milestone, but for us it is not the destination. It gives us the opportunity to do more — to support more young cricketers, help more families, work with more clubs and continue the work Josh was so passionate about. Thank you to everyone who has helped us get this far. We are incredibly grateful, and we are excited about what we can achieve together next.
Get involved
If you would like to become involved, take on a fundraising challenge, support one of our projects or find out more about participating in a future event, please get in touch with the JB33 Foundation.
