International cricket is returning to the Bristol County Ground this summer and Gloucestershire Cricket is taking the opportunity to thank the heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic by giving away tickets to blue light workers.
In a rerun of the 2017 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Final, England will take on India in Bristol on Sunday 27th June, which has been renamed ‘Thank You Day’, giving Gloucestershire Cricket the chance to acknowledge the commitment of the many thousands of local NHS and emergency service staff who have been working tirelessly over the past year.
England captain Heather Knight is looking forward to leading out her World Cup winning team at the County Ground and acknowledging the Bristolians who’ve gone above and beyond over the past twelve months. “So many people have been putting themselves at risk to look after others during the pandemic, it will be an honour to entertain some of them,” she says. “My brother and his partner both work in the NSH – as do many of my friends - and I’m hugely proud of them and all the medical staff who’ve been keeping hospitals going.” Heather herself signed up to become a medical transport volunteer in March 2020 during the first national lockdown.
Heather’s team mate, England and Western Storm bowler Anya Shrubsole, who took six wickets in the ICC Cricket World Cup Final to secure victory for England, is also expected to be in action on 27th June. She’s delighted to be returning to the County Ground and being part of the thank you effort. “I always love playing in Bristol, which is close to home for me. Thank You Day is such a great initiative, it will be a real honour to play in front of the real-life heroes in the crowd,” she said.
The County Ground has played its own part in helping combat coronavirus by hosting both flu and COVID vaccination clinics during the winter and into the current cricket season. Working In conjunction with the local GP centre, almost 6,000 vaccines have been administered at the ground to help protect local people and enable the country to return to normality as quickly as possible.
“I’m delighted that the club has been able to play a small part in the fight against COVID, but the real heroes have been the blue light workers who have provided care and hope to so many,” says Will Brown, Gloucestershire Cricket CEO. “Thank You Day is our way of acknowledging their selfless efforts – we hope they have a great day out on us.”
In partnership with the Gloucestershire Cricket Board, the Club will also be using Thank You Day to recognise the hard work of the county’s Women’s Cricket volunteer network.
“Gloucestershire Cricket is a great champion of women and girls’ cricket and we are proud that we consistently attract record attendances for women’s matches,” says Brown. “We are pleased to be working closely with ECB on hosting the Royal London ODI, and are also grateful for the support of Ticketmaster, who are waiving their usual administration fee to make the day completely free for our NHS heroes.”
Tickets for Thank You Day will be available from 10m tomorrow (Wednesday 28th April). To receive a pair of free tickets to the Royal London One-Day International, eligible NHS and emergency service workers can visit www.bluelighttickets.co.uk to register and obtain a unique reference number before booking through the Gloucestershire Cricket website: www.gloscricket.co.uk/tickets
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