Hall and Woodhouse sponsorship

Those of you who buy the Horsham local West Sussex County Times may have been shocked at the sight of IanG and myself, suited and booted, staring out at them from page 13 and holding a giant cheque which we were honoured to receive last Friday at the Hangleton Manor, Hove (followed by some great hospitality )

This is down to the generosity of Dorset brewers Hall and Woodhouse (makers of Badgers Ale) who, following an application by myself back in April for a share of their “Community Chest” (= scheme designed to support local worthy causes), saw fit to award us some generous sponsorship – which we have arranged to share equally with our sister league Billingshurst.

This should give both leagues a long-overdue boost and help to offset rising costs in administering the winter leagues. The awards are unconditional but will allow the respective committees to plan something ‘special’ – especially as Billingshurst are entering their Golden Jubilee year.

[barbelman]

That is amazing - well done you two. Publicity and running costs - perfect.....

I hope it is appreciated by all!

Thanks Tony,

Yes, goes to show that it can be done.

Back in the day when leagues were formed, this was invariably done with the help of breweries who donated often-impressive silverware to perpetuate the competitions.

But it seems to be the case that, with the present day set-up of brewery conglomerates, any requests for help have fallen on deaf ears.

H & W are a bit of a special case, having taken over the Horsham brewery King & Barnes Ltd back at the turn of the century. There is still (undeserved) local resentment over this, and when I did some research I discovered that H & W had acted as a white knight at the request of K & B and staved off a hostile bid from Shepherd Neame.

Yes, H & W have converted quite a few pubs into 'foodies' but have also left many alone, and I am sure fewer have been knocked down for redevelopment than would have been the case under Shepherd Neame.

Reckon Wychwood might be a good one to approach in your neck of the woods !