Archbishop of Canterbury match in aid of human trafficking charity

The Archbishop of Canterbury will field a side to play against a Catholic team from the Vatican in a cross-faith charity match at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence next week.

The cricket clash on Friday, September 19 at 4pm is in aid of The Global Freedom Network, a group set up to tackle human trafficking with free admission to spectators who can make a donation to the good cause.

The campaign started when Archbishop Justin Welby visited Pope Francis in June 2013 and a conference was held at the Vatican in November 2013 on the initiative the Pontifical Academies of Science and Social Science (PASS).

It is estimated that between 12 and 27 million people worldwide are enslaved into forced labour and sexual exploitation.

Each year, about 2 million people are victims of sexual trafficking, 60 per cent of whom are girls.

Human organ trafficking is rife: annually around 20,000 people are forced or deceived into giving up an organ (liver, kidney, pancreas, cornea, lung, even the heart).

After the match and the presentations, enjoy an evening with the Archbishop and the teams in the elegant members’ lounge at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.

Once the presentations have been made, there will be an opportunity for drinks while the players change.

The meal will start at about 7.30pm. Diners will be seated at round tables of ten. Tickets cost £60. Order a table of ten and get one free place: just £540.

Henry Olonga, former Zimbabwe International Cricketer and commentator will be present at the match and dinner

All proceeds raised will go to the Global Freedom Network, the anti-trafficking charity set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Francis. If you wish to donate an item, visitwww.churchtimes.co.uk

The evening should finish by 10pm to assist those with long journeys. The dress code is lounge suits for gentlemen.

The gala dinner will take place even if the match is rained off. We have a provisional booking with the ground to play the match on the following morning if Friday is wet.

Click here to book ticketsor call 0845 017 6965 (9am to 5pm Monday-Friday).