Joe Kelliher, Owner and Lifetime President of Kelliher Insurance Group, and Mike Soper, Honorary Life Member of Surrey County Cricket Club, held another successful Surrey Cricket Foundation (SCF) Dinner on 28th June, raising £15,700 for the Foundation.
Mike and Joe founded the annual dinner over twenty years ago to help raise funds for the Foundation. Their goal is to support SCF in changing lives and inspiring people in Surrey and South London from all backgrounds through the game of cricket. In that time, the dinners have raised over £200,000 for the Foundation.
SCF works with schools, clubs, charities, and governing bodies to increase cricket participation. They introduce people to cricket, coach them, and help them find clubs. They also help the game thrive by funding new facilities and training new coaches and umpires.
In 2023, the Foundation delivered:
- Cricket coaching to 20,000 school children
- 18,000 young people participated in the Surrey Junior Cricket Championship
- Further developed female participation in the game with over 370 Girls’ teams and over 120 Women’s matches
- Trained 450 coaches
- Hosted the annual Disability Day for 1,350 children
- Delivered an Employability Programme for young people with additional needs
The event is supported and attended by many businesses and representatives from the world of cricket, including ex-England player and Kelliher Insurance Group employee Simon Jones MBE. Simon did an after-dinner Q&A taking questions from the audience and showcasing highlights from his successful cricketing career.
Lord Archer is a long-standing supporter of the dinner, hosting the successful auction each year. Many of the attendees including Oakland, SCF, Mike Soper, and Joe, contributed to the fantastic array of auction prizes.
About the Surrey Cricket Foundation
The SCF is the charitable arm of Surrey County Cricket Club (SCCC) that delivers recreational cricket in Surrey (and South London); it aims to improve lives within underserved local communities.
The SCF works with communities, schools, and clubs in Surrey and South London by supporting development and delivering programmes to bring people into the game and use them as tools for social good. The SCF’s goal is to get more people playing cricket to improve their well-being and identify future talent for Surrey County Cricket Club (SCCC).
