The club has been able to engage local firm J Pugh-Lewis Ltd to level, add drainage and re-seed our five 95-year-old worn out, compacted and sloping East lawns. Work started on 30th July, on a dry, warm and calm day, which was perfect for spraying-off the turf, which will be worked in to retain as much organic matter as possible and minimise the amount of material that needs to be taken off or brought onto the site.
The £55815.62 project was finally given the go-ahead with the backing of a £20,741.47 grant from FCC Communities Foundation (a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community, conservation and heritage projects from funds donated by FCC Environment through the Landfill Communities Fund).
Nottingham Croquet Club is delighted that its President, Ian Vincent, has been awarded the British Empire Medal for Services to Croquet in the New Year Honours List.
Ian joined the club (which has played on lawns in Nottingham’s Highfields Park since 1929) in 1977, after moving to the City to take up a post at the Cripps Computing Centre in the University. He was elected as the club’s Hon. Secretary the following year and served for 38 years, until becoming its President in 2016. He was also active in the national Croquet Association, particularly in the development of the Laws and Rules of the sport, and was elected as one of its Vice-Presidents last year.
Ian said that he was “very pleased to accept this honour in recognition of the exceptional voluntary service given by members of the Nottingham Croquet Club over the years I have played there, during which it has developed into the thriving organisation it is today. The club has some 200 members, with an active junior section, and hosts visits by local social groups, health and community organisations. It hosted the national Open Championships for the first time this year, and has staged test matches and Women’s and U21 international events in recent years. None of this would be have been possible without the effort of its many volunteers and support from the City Council and the national Croquet Association, which becomes a charity, Croquet England, from 1st January, 2024.”
Many congratulations to Ian.
Croquet England’s fuller recognition of Ian’s contribution to the sport can be found here.
For further information, please contact Rob Edlin-White (Chairman) <rob.edlin-white@ntlworld.com> or David Brydon (Membership Secretary) <davidbrydon@btinternet.com>
or the club’s website https://nottinghamcroquet.org.uk.
