Spectators at Lord’s on the third day of the England v New Zealand Investec Test dug deep in their pockets, raising more than £20,000 in support of those affected by the recent earthquakes in Nepal.
If some fans were becoming frustrated by Kane Williamson’s six-hour stint at the crease, they embraced the spirit of the game by giving generously to the Lord’s collection.
The collection was organized by MCC in partnership with representatives of the Royal Gurkha Rifles with the money raised going to the Gurkha Welfare Trust Earthquake Response Fund.
The fund provide immediate medial response and emergency aid to the most remote areas and communities affected by the 25 April earthquake and the aftershocks that have followed in subsequent weeks.
The Gurkha Welfare Trust play an important role in providing information back to the international rescue effort about the situation in the most remote regions of the affected area.
This allows vital aid to reach remote communities that are often left without support.
Actress Joanna Lumley, who was watching the day’s action from the Grand Stand, spoke of the desperate situation facing Nepal and the vital work the Gurkha Fund is doing.
“The Gurkha Welfare Fund are perfectly placed and have already shown themselves to be immensely efficient in getting aid to those very distant parts, far away from Kathmandu, up in the hills which are usually only accessed by paths which have been washed away,” she said.
“It is literally shocking to see how much land has disappeared, not only buildings and people’s houses but all their carefully terraced places where they grow crops and the pipelines of water that have been damaged.
“All those have to be replaced and all of them need money.”
Links between Nepal and MCC have grown strongly in recent months as the Club looks to actively provide support in countries where cricket is growing in popularity.
MCC selected Nepal captain Paras Khadka as part of their squad that travelled to Dubai for the Emirates T20 tournament back in March 2015.
Additionally, MCC have a two-week tour of Nepal scheduled for November of this year.
However, with the current situation in the country, the Club is consulting closely with the Cricket Association of Nepal in regards to reaching a decision as to whether the tour will indeed go ahead.
News via Lords Website http://www.lords.org/news/2015/june/20000-raised-for-nepal-at-lords-/
