BURY cricketer Kate Cross has helped launched a fundraising campaign on behalf of the Professional Cricketers' Trust - which is forecast to lose over £250,000 in 2020 due to COVID-19.

With the majority of fundraising usually secured through generous partners and guests at events, it leaves the players’ charity in desperate need to secure funds to continue its life changing, and often lifesaving work.

The #charity10for10 campaign was kick-started by the England Women's star, alongside former Test opener and director of the trust, Marcus Trescothick and England’s World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan

The idea behind the campaign is to complete 10km through cycling, running or walking, donate £10 and post your achievement on social media, nominating three friends.

As professional cricket’s leading charity, the trust provides assistance through welfare, education and support during difficult times.

They fund life-changing help for players and their closest family, whether their situation is related to their cricket career, or not.

This can include everything from medical care and mental health counselling to preventative educational programmes and help with addiction.

Whether cricketers play for a men’s team or women’s team, for a week or a decade, every professional cricketer in England and Wales is a life-long member of the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA).

In 2019, the trust supported 85 people with mental health problems, 40 of those cases were current players, with ages of those accessing support ranging from 17 to 88 years of age.

Trescothick said: “The trust is a small charity who have saved and supported countless lives and due to the coronavirus is faced with a huge funding shortfall.

"All donations will go directly to current and former players who have fallen on hard times and desperately need support.”

Morgan said: “Not every player is fortunate to have a long, happy and healthy cricket career and that is where the trust is an invaluable support for all players.

"It doesn’t matter how long your professional career is, they treat everyone as equal and it is heart-warming to see how they take care of their own.”

Cross added: “This is the second time in the past 12 months that I have completed a challenge for the trust and it is great to give back when I can. It means I can help raising vital funds so they can continue the amazing work they do.

“I saw Tom Smith (the Gloucestershire player who lost his wife to cancer) speaking about how the charity helped him through the toughest period of his life. To hear the stories and see the kind of things the Trust does make me want to support it even more.”

To take part and donate visit the trust's Just Giving campaign - bit.ly/charity10for10