In January 2021, we lost Rachael Woollett, suddenly and unexpectedly. 

Rachael had been a Deputy Head at Bede's School, East Sussex, for ten years. She brought a passion to her work, and a determination to always do the right thing for the children she felt privileged to serve. Selfless, dedicated, sensitive, and thoughtful, she was a great teacher, a great school leader, a great colleague, and a great friend.

Rachael's first love was cricket. Whether it was watching England play, or supporting the school's various teams, she was at her happiest sitting on the boundary, following a match.

For this reason in her memory, we are raising funds for Chance to Shine, whose programmes support thousands of young people across the UK, often from marginalised backgrounds. Chance to Shine is a national charity that aims to give all children the opportunity to play, learn and develop through cricket. They believe that cricket can help to develop the personal, social and physical skills of the 500,000 children that they work with every year.

Using cricket and sport to build self-esteem, and providing a sense of achievement - and fun: this is exactly what Rachael loved about cricket, and sport.