‘Our target was £500 so to raise this much is simply staggering’
ORGANISERS of a cricket charity challenge have handed over a bumper cheque to the NHS - and also received a letter of thanks from the Prime Minister.
Porthill Park seamer Craig Barker, club coach Dave Fairbanks and Meakins legend Dave Edwards set up the ‘smashthetash’ campaign 12 months ago when the local cricket season was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The challenge, which started following an off-the-cuff remark, saw participants grow their facial hair before moulding it into a moustache ahead of the first game, which was eventually played on July 18.
Their initial target was to raise £500... but last weekend they handed over a cheque for £41,496 to the NHS following their fundraising exploits.
“Fairy (David Fairbanks) said as a joke that we should not shave during lockdown and then we thought that actually we might be able to raise a few quid,” said Barker.
“I thought we might be able to do £100, but Fairy was convinced we could reach £1,000. So we met in the middle and settled on a target of £500.
“It was phenomenal how it all turned out. It started out as a joke, but raised £41,496, which is staggering.
“We always said that if we could raise enough money to buy one piece of PPE equipment and it saves a life, then it will have been worth it.
“But if someone had said at the start we’d end up with this amount of money, I’d have laughed in their face.”
The three Staffordshire players were not the only ones involved in the organisation of the ‘smashthetash’ campaign.
Fairbanks’ partner Amy Furnival was at the heart of the fundraising drive and oversaw all aspects of the challenge as it continued to grow.
Barker says it was a proud moment for the quartet to hand over the money last weekend... as it was when Boris Johnson wrote a letter of congratulations.
“My wife, Sophie, was at home teaching a lesson online and there was a knock on the door,” explained Barker.
“She thought it might just be a delivery, so she ignored it, but a man then appeared at the window asking her to answer the door.
“Sophie was in the middle of a lesson, but answered and was told that the man had a letter which had to be hand delivered from the Prime Minister.
“She couldn’t quite believe it, but it turned out to be a letter from Boris Johnson thanking us for our fundraising efforts.”
Barker stresses, though, that while himself and his three colleagues will be in the limelight, the remarkable achievement was down to the efforts of the local cricket community.
Not only did individuals take on fundraising challenges, but clubs pushed themselves to the limit to highlight the worthy cause.
And support flooded in from around the world with South Africa players Morne and Albie Morkel, former Australia international Merv Hughes and cricket commentator David Lloyd among those to get behind ‘smashthetash.’
“When we started we were at the height of the pandemic and one of the things which made us proud was how clubs took on the challenges,” added Barker.
“People really did embrace it. Everyone bought into it and when we did eventually start games, we were playing against teams who had helped raise so much money, which was special.
“In times of adversity people do come together and the character of the local cricket community really did shine through.”
There were a host of challenges undertaken over the course of last summer to boost the charity coffers.
Longton all-rounder Luke Woodward visited every NSSCL Premier Division ground as part of two marathons in one weekend, while Little Stoke’s James Ecclestone covered the distance between Lands End and John O’groats.
Josh Johnson and Nathan Ball, from Ashcombe Park, visited all the first-class grounds, and Newcastle & Hartshill covered the distance from their club to Newcastle in Australia.
Stone completed a tonup challenge in May, while Elworth ran, cycled and walked almost 10,000 miles in
their ‘Beat the Pros’ challenge.
Furnival also organised a ‘walk on the WAG side’ event, which saw more than 200 ladies take part to raise in excess of £6,000 towards the final tally.
There were also plenty of individual achievements, plus generous donations from organisations and companies.
Barker’s young nephew Noah completed a marathon over the course of a week, while the North Staffs and South Cheshire League donated to the cause.
JS Sports also produced ‘smashthetash’ merchandise which helped to swell funds.
“As a local cricket community we can hold our heads up high after what we achieved,” said Barker.
“But it wouldn’t have been possible without the amount of people who did the crazy tasks, liked, shared and donated to the campaign.
“I think during the lockdowns we’ve had, everyone has struggled at some point, but hopefully the camaraderie of ‘smashthetash’ and what we tried to achieved did help keep spirits up.”
Barker, Fairbanks, Edwards and Furnival handed over the cheque to hub manager Diane Marson at the vaccination centre at Dresden Scout Hall at the weekend. Barker says that was a proud moment.
“I suppose it’s a bit sad that the challenge is officially over now we’ve presented the cheque, but it was amazing to be able to do it,” said Barker.
“It’s also good to see how the vaccination drive is going. Myself and Dave Edwards have volunteered at that centre and have seen first hand what a wonderful job the NHS is doing.
“The NHS has been fantastic during the pandemic and this was our chance to give something back to them.
“But it wouldn’t have been possible without the support we had from everyone who got behind ‘smashthetash.’
“The four of us can’t thank people enough for what they have done.”