The Johnners Trust was founded as the Brian Johnston Memorial Trust in 1995 by Brian’s widow, Pauline Johnston, and it has been administered since 1999 by the Lord’s Taverners. Brian’s eldest son Barry Johnston is now the family trustee. The aims of the charity are:
- To award annual Johnners Scholarships to promising young cricketers at county and regional level, who are in need of financial assistance to fulfil their potential
- To support cricket for the Visually Impaired
The scholarships are funded both through donations made directly to the Johnners Trust, and funds that are raised at the Johnners Trust Annual Dinner, which is held in the Long Room at Lord’s each autumn.
You can become a Supporter of the Johnners Trust by setting up a regular donation of £50 per annum (less than £5 per month). This gives you advance opportunity of purchasing tickets for the Johnners Trust Dinner. Contact Johnners@lordstaverners.org for details of how to donate.
You can also make a one-off Donation. We are grateful for all support. Young cricketers also benefit from those who are kind enough to remember the Johnners Trust in their Will.
Ebony Rainford-Brent MBE, World Cup Winner 2009:
I received back-to-back Johnners Trust scholarships when I was 14 and 15 years old. I was in the Surrey pathway and was able to use the money to get fully kitted out. Previously, I’d been using a second-hand bat from Brixton market which wasn’t even the right size for me. For my mum, it would have been too much to invest in cricket to pay for kit at that stage, but without the gear, when you’re at that age, you can’t really progress. At training, I remember a lot of people used to bring their own balls to practise. So just to have my own balls in my bag was a big deal.
Tymal Mills, T20 World Cup Winner 2023:
I was 17 or 18 years old when Essex’s Academy Director applied on my behalf for a Johnners Scholarship to help with my fees for bus and train travel. Cricket isn’t always the most accessible sport, and in my instance, travel was potentially an obstacle. I grew up in a single parent household and those costs of getting the train and buses to training twice a week really added up. I was living in Suffolk so it was a good hour and a half to two hours journey to Chelmsford. Without help, I don’t know if I would have been able to afford to have done it for a couple of years. The Scholarship removed an obstacle that could have potentially stopped me playing cricket otherwise.
If you would like more information on the Johnners Trust, or if you are a coach and would like to apply for a Johnners scholarship on behalf of one of your players, please email: Johnners@lordstaverners.org
You can also write to: The Johnners Trust, c/o Lord’s Taverners, 90 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1EU.
