Club Secretary Joanna Storey has been awarded this season’s Holt RFC Chum Preston Cup; she is the first woman to have received this honour in the 45 years of its history. The Chum Preston Cup is awarded annually to a person who has given outstanding service to the Club, on or off the field. Older members recall that ‘Chum’ Preston (a nickname) lived in the town and was one of the small band of touchline supporters during the early days of Holt RFC. He left the money for cup as a legacy in his will and his widow presented it to the club. The first award was made in 1972 to ‘A Richardson’. However little is known beyond that and the club would welcome any information on ‘Chum’ Preston.

Jo, as she is always known, comes originally from Leeds. Fittingly, her eldest son Alex is now playing the Northern code of Rugby League at Loughborough University. Alex and his brother Will both came to rugby through the youth section at Holt and, as a result their mother became a voluntary helper at the club. Holt Chairman Ben Jones recognised Jo as someone who gets things done and asked her to take on the role of Club Secretary. Thus began an involvement with the senior sides and in Jo’s own words she now greatly enjoys watching the First XV on a Saturday ‘with a G&T in hand.’

There is a substantial administrative job to be done in running a rugby club of this size and ambition. Jo prepares agendas, records minutes, and transmits considerable information from various national and local rugby bodies.
Recently Jo led the demanding of relaunching the club’s website and related technology. This has been recognised as a considerable success and has transformed communication. As a result Holt RFC was able to find over 100 volunteers for the first ever Big Norfolk Rugby Weekend in May which set a very high standard for other Norfolk clubs to follow. Despite such success, Jo would be the first to emphasise the need for more volunteers – one of her frustrations is that ‘it’s always the same people doing all the work’. To quote “The parents of our youth & mini players will have a vast amount of skills and knowledge that they could bring to the club. We need volunteers for the future sustainability of the club. The running costs are high: we rely on income from the kitchen and bar – but we need parents to help out in the kitchen on a Sunday, perhaps just a couple of times in the season. It’s also a good place to be when it’s wet and cold!”
In tribute Club President Paul Williams comments: “Since becoming our Club Secretary in 2015, Jo Storey has made a major positive contribution, particularly in the area of communication within and outside the Club. Her friendly, happy and hard-working personality has ensured Committee meetings are always fully informed”

This article first appeared, in a slightly different version, in the Holt Chronicle 1st December 2017). Text Martyn Sloman.