The Club has launched the Jack Petchey Foundation Achievement Awards, which will take place quarterly from now on in our Junior Water Polo Section.
Jack Petchey was born in 1925 and brought up in the East End of London with few luxuries. After the war, Jack set up his own car hire and sales business, then moved into property development. As a result of this, he became one of the most successful businessmen in Britain. The Jack Petchey Foundation was formed in 1999 and since then over £35m has been donated to Youth Activities. Jack Petchey wants the Achievement Awards scheme to recognise “extreme endeavour and to help young people to help themselves”.
Each quarter, the junior coaches will nominate a number of people that participate in our club for the Award. The winner of the Award will be chosen by you club members and they will able to choose an item from the Wishlist on which the £300 can be spent. The winner will also receive a certificate to celebrate their success.
Our first nominees for the award are as follows:
- Patrick Bennett – Patrick has been a regular member at the club for a couple of years now and has made huge progress. He is committed to training and has represented the club at the London League tournaments.
- Bradley Sills – Bradley is one of our swimmers turned water polo players. Still relatively new to the sport, Bradley is keen to learn and shows great commitment to training on a Saturday, despite also having a swim session beforehand each week.
- Joseba Escuredo – Jose is one of our newer “imports” and has been a great addition to the club. Already an accomplished goalkeeper for his age, he has fitted in well to the new club and has given a couple of excellent performances at the London League tournaments .
The first winner will be announced at Saturday training on 5th April after a vote by all juniors, and will have a choice from the following Wishlist:
- Contribution towards new club kit – costumes, hoodies, T-shirts etc. (the new club designs will be launched shortly)
- Contribution towards an overseas or UK tournament for the juniors
- Club Waterpolo DVD library