A Day for Thorpey.

A Day for Thorpey celebrates the life and legacy of Graham Thorpe MBE, the late England and Surrey cricketer. It is organised in partnership between Mind, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Surrey County Cricket Club, and the Thorpe family.

It will take place during the England v India test match at the Kia Oval on Friday 1st August, 2025.

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Graham was one of Surrey and England’s finest players of the modern era. He also went on to become an accomplished coach both for Surrey, the ECB and around the world.

Graham sadly took his own life on the 4th August last year, aged 55 years old, after struggling with anxiety and depression for several years.

A Day for Thorpey will be held at the Oval Cricket Ground, London, in support of mental health charity Mind, on what would have been Graham’s 56th birthday.

Spectators will be encouraged to wear a white towelling headband on the day, referencing the iconic look that Graham would reveal when he’d remove his helmet to celebrate a century (a score of 100 or more runs in a single innings by a batter).

The headbands have been co-designed with Graham’s wife Amanda and daughters Kitty and Emma. They will be available to pre-order from Monday 21st July from shop.mind.org.uk and the Mind eBay store, and on sale at the Kia Oval Cricket ground from 1st August, for £5 each.

Amanda, Kitty and Emma Thorpe said: "We are still absolutely heartbroken at the loss of Graham, and he is so deeply missed.

“We are really looking toward to celebrating Graham’s life and remembering him on this day - his birthday. We are also determined that some good will come of his loss, and so we hope to raise some money in his memory. We are excited to be able to help others with the “Bat and Chat” programme. We are also dedicated to raising awareness and removing stigma surrounding mental health. Stigma can often prevent people from seeking help but we want people to know that they're not alone, and there is no shame in what you're feeling."

How your donation will help.

You can support A Day for Thorpey by donating today. You will help fund Thorpey’s Bat and Chat cricket programme, delivered by local Minds across England and Wales, giving people with mental health problems the chance to get active, build friendships, and develop vital self-care skills through the power of cricket. It will also help Mind to develop materials to help support the mental health of cricket coaches at all levels of the game.

For support, head to mind.org.uk