Welcome to the Friends of Grace Road Website
Thank you for your interest in the
Friends of Grace Road.
NB For up-to-date information, please see the Friends of Grace Road section via the Leicestershire County Cricket Club website:www.leicestershireccc.co.uk
For news on our current activities,
please find us @meet4cake.
Friends of Grace Road.
NB For up-to-date information, please see the Friends of Grace Road section via the Leicestershire County Cricket Club website:www.leicestershireccc.co.uk
For news on our current activities,
please find us @meet4cake.
Donation to the Club
Roy Bent, the Chairman of the Friends of Grace Road (FoGR) has reported that 2016-17 has been another very successful and profitable year.
We are pleased to announce that the FoGR have donated a total of £9,000 to the club this year.
All visitors to Grace Road will know that the club’s catering department has in recent years developed and transformed its commercial facilities and offerings for corporate hospitality packages and private functions and events.
Also, the Club’s Matchday food and beverage outlets are now highly regarded and widely recognised as some of the best on the county cricket circuit.
The FoGR will allocate £6,000 of the 2017 donation for replacement of items in the kitchen.
Like all other members and supporters, the FoGR wants to see the development of young cricketers in the region and progression of those cricketers from the club’s Academy towards the Leicestershire senior teams.
Consequently, the FoGR have also allocated £3,000 of the 2017 donation to the Leicestershire CCC Academy. This will be used to provide sponsored fixtures, medals and other opportunities considered appropriate by the Club's coaches.
The Chairman and committee of the Friends of Grace Road wish to thank all of you who supported us during the year and to our very willing volunteers for their unstinting efforts.
For further details see the Club website: http://www.leicestershireccc.co.uk/news/2017/november/fogr-make-9000-donation.html
We are pleased to announce that the FoGR have donated a total of £9,000 to the club this year.
All visitors to Grace Road will know that the club’s catering department has in recent years developed and transformed its commercial facilities and offerings for corporate hospitality packages and private functions and events.
Also, the Club’s Matchday food and beverage outlets are now highly regarded and widely recognised as some of the best on the county cricket circuit.
The FoGR will allocate £6,000 of the 2017 donation for replacement of items in the kitchen.
Like all other members and supporters, the FoGR wants to see the development of young cricketers in the region and progression of those cricketers from the club’s Academy towards the Leicestershire senior teams.
Consequently, the FoGR have also allocated £3,000 of the 2017 donation to the Leicestershire CCC Academy. This will be used to provide sponsored fixtures, medals and other opportunities considered appropriate by the Club's coaches.
The Chairman and committee of the Friends of Grace Road wish to thank all of you who supported us during the year and to our very willing volunteers for their unstinting efforts.
For further details see the Club website: http://www.leicestershireccc.co.uk/news/2017/november/fogr-make-9000-donation.html
Paul Nixon Returns
Leicestershire County Cricket Club have announced that Paul Nixon is returning to the Fischer County Ground as Head Coach.
For more details see the Club website http://www.leicestershireccc.co.uk
For more details see the Club website http://www.leicestershireccc.co.uk
Autumn Fayre
Below is a slideshow of some Photos taken at our very successful Autumn Fayre.
Thank You to Phil Veasey for the photos
Crickets
Supporters, local residents and craft enthusiasts from across the city converged on the Fischer County Ground on Saturday to snap-up some early Christmas gifts and a few bargains at the Autumn Fayre organised by Friends of Grace Road (FoGR).
“We raised about £1,500,” said FoGR Chairman, Roy Bent. “It was a fantastic result and an amazing turnout on the day! Visitors enjoyed the range of crafts on offer and with stall holders reporting high sales figures - we have received very positive feedback.
The event was officially opened by Paul 'Nico' Nixon, see below, who has just been appointed as LCCC Head Coach. He toured the stalls, chatting to the crafters – even sampling some of the products!
The Fayre was a new addition to the FoGR calendar of activities.
“We are probably best-known for serving hot drinks and home-made cakes at cricket matches but we also hold a range of other events,” added Roy. “These include a series of lunches over the winter months and the annual general knowledge quiz in November. We like to be busy!”
The Friends of Grace Road was formed in 1971 and has raised £1000s. At the end of each season they make a donation to the Club for each of the last three years it has been £12,000) that is spent on various projects around the Ground.
The next FoGR event is the first of the Winter Lunches on Friday 3rd November followed by the annual Quiz night on Friday 10th November.
For more information, please contact us via the contact form on this website, through Twitter (@Meet4Cake) or call LCCC on 01162 832128.
Supporters, local residents and craft enthusiasts from across the city converged on the Fischer County Ground on Saturday to snap-up some early Christmas gifts and a few bargains at the Autumn Fayre organised by Friends of Grace Road (FoGR).
“We raised about £1,500,” said FoGR Chairman, Roy Bent. “It was a fantastic result and an amazing turnout on the day! Visitors enjoyed the range of crafts on offer and with stall holders reporting high sales figures - we have received very positive feedback.
The event was officially opened by Paul 'Nico' Nixon, see below, who has just been appointed as LCCC Head Coach. He toured the stalls, chatting to the crafters – even sampling some of the products!
The Fayre was a new addition to the FoGR calendar of activities.
“We are probably best-known for serving hot drinks and home-made cakes at cricket matches but we also hold a range of other events,” added Roy. “These include a series of lunches over the winter months and the annual general knowledge quiz in November. We like to be busy!”
The Friends of Grace Road was formed in 1971 and has raised £1000s. At the end of each season they make a donation to the Club for each of the last three years it has been £12,000) that is spent on various projects around the Ground.
The next FoGR event is the first of the Winter Lunches on Friday 3rd November followed by the annual Quiz night on Friday 10th November.
For more information, please contact us via the contact form on this website, through Twitter (@Meet4Cake) or call LCCC on 01162 832128.
Paul Nixon opening the Autumn Fayre.
Winter Lunches 2017-18
Friday 3rd November 2017
The Leicester Tigers today is an entirely different club to that of the early 1960s. Mike Harrison has seen it all! Mike is an Old Wyggestonian both as a pupil and a teacher. He was a highly promising rugby player at school and university and represented England Students. He became a Leicester Tigers player in 1962 and still represents the Club today, 55 years later. Mike has kindly agreed to attend the FoGR Winter Lunch on Friday 3rd November 2017 as our guest speaker to present to us an insight into ‘From Player to President – Over 50 Years a Tiger!’.
MENU
A starter of twice baked Somerset cheddar and caramelised onion soufflé.
It is followed by slow pot roasted blade of English Beef set on a horseradish and sage mash for main.
Dessert is a pot au chocolate with poached raspberries in Drambuie.
A cafetiere of coffee and Red Fox mints will be served after the meal.
Friday 2nd February 2018
Our guest speaker at the FoGR Winter Lunch on Friday 2nd February 2018 will be Russell Cobb, who was born and bred in Leicester and enjoyed a first-class career opening the batting for Leicestershire CCC and Northern Transvaal from 1980 to 1989. He later coached Leicestershire Young Cricketers and The Midlands Cricket Age Groups and became Leicestershire’s High-Performance Coach whilst remaining very active within his local club, Kibworth C.C. In March 2012, Russell was appointed to the highly prestigious position of MCCU Head Cricket Coach at Loughborough University where he succeeded former England cricketer, Graham Dilley, following his untimely death in October 2011. Russell saw this appointment as an honour and looked forward to working with talented athletes and guiding them along their University cricketing pathway and to continuing and developing the excellent work of Graham Dilley. We look forward to hearing anecdotes from Russell’s playing days and about his philosophy and methods for developing young cricketers for the future.
Friday 2nd March 2018
As usual, we will arrange for a few coaches and players to speak at the FoGR Winter Lunch on Friday 2nd March 2018 in the build-up to the new season.
All lunches will cost £17.95 per person, inclusive of Vat
You can book a place by calling 0116 283 2128 or by email to enquiries@leicestershireccc.co.uk
The Leicester Tigers today is an entirely different club to that of the early 1960s. Mike Harrison has seen it all! Mike is an Old Wyggestonian both as a pupil and a teacher. He was a highly promising rugby player at school and university and represented England Students. He became a Leicester Tigers player in 1962 and still represents the Club today, 55 years later. Mike has kindly agreed to attend the FoGR Winter Lunch on Friday 3rd November 2017 as our guest speaker to present to us an insight into ‘From Player to President – Over 50 Years a Tiger!’.
MENU
A starter of twice baked Somerset cheddar and caramelised onion soufflé.
It is followed by slow pot roasted blade of English Beef set on a horseradish and sage mash for main.
Dessert is a pot au chocolate with poached raspberries in Drambuie.
A cafetiere of coffee and Red Fox mints will be served after the meal.
Friday 2nd February 2018
Our guest speaker at the FoGR Winter Lunch on Friday 2nd February 2018 will be Russell Cobb, who was born and bred in Leicester and enjoyed a first-class career opening the batting for Leicestershire CCC and Northern Transvaal from 1980 to 1989. He later coached Leicestershire Young Cricketers and The Midlands Cricket Age Groups and became Leicestershire’s High-Performance Coach whilst remaining very active within his local club, Kibworth C.C. In March 2012, Russell was appointed to the highly prestigious position of MCCU Head Cricket Coach at Loughborough University where he succeeded former England cricketer, Graham Dilley, following his untimely death in October 2011. Russell saw this appointment as an honour and looked forward to working with talented athletes and guiding them along their University cricketing pathway and to continuing and developing the excellent work of Graham Dilley. We look forward to hearing anecdotes from Russell’s playing days and about his philosophy and methods for developing young cricketers for the future.
Friday 2nd March 2018
As usual, we will arrange for a few coaches and players to speak at the FoGR Winter Lunch on Friday 2nd March 2018 in the build-up to the new season.
All lunches will cost £17.95 per person, inclusive of Vat
You can book a place by calling 0116 283 2128 or by email to enquiries@leicestershireccc.co.uk
Friends of Grace Road present Ground Equipment
During the interval on the first day of the Specsavers County Championship game against
Nottinghamshire, a special presentation was made involving Leicestershire CCC and the Friends of
Grace Road (FoGR).
The FoGR raised £12,000 during the 2016 season, which was the third successive time that they have
generously donated that amount of money to the club.
Monies raised were used towards the purchase of three pieces of equipment to keep the Fischer
County Ground in top order. A ride-on outfield mower, a wicket mower for the outdoor nets and a
scarifier that will be used on both the square and outdoor nets has been brought and now has the
FoGR logo.
Chief Executive Wasim Khan MBE and Chairman Paul Haywood joined FoGR Chairman Roy Bent,
some of the many FoGR volunteers and the groundstaff to have a photo taken with the new
equipment.
The FoGR had a record-breaking opening day to the 2017 season. They sold more cakes (17) than
ever before, which helped to raise over £400 at the Café on Friday. The FoGR also took £740 at their
Grand Sale while all 100 copies of Playfair that were available flew off the shelf. With other sales of memorabilia etc. sales totalled £1773.
* For the two Royal London One-Day Cup floodlit games on Tuesday, May 2 and Friday, May 12, the
FoGR have announced that the Café will open between 4pm and 6pm.
Thanks to Dan Nice, LCCC Communications Manager and Neville Chadwick Photography, for their help with this article.
Nottinghamshire, a special presentation was made involving Leicestershire CCC and the Friends of
Grace Road (FoGR).
The FoGR raised £12,000 during the 2016 season, which was the third successive time that they have
generously donated that amount of money to the club.
Monies raised were used towards the purchase of three pieces of equipment to keep the Fischer
County Ground in top order. A ride-on outfield mower, a wicket mower for the outdoor nets and a
scarifier that will be used on both the square and outdoor nets has been brought and now has the
FoGR logo.
Chief Executive Wasim Khan MBE and Chairman Paul Haywood joined FoGR Chairman Roy Bent,
some of the many FoGR volunteers and the groundstaff to have a photo taken with the new
equipment.
The FoGR had a record-breaking opening day to the 2017 season. They sold more cakes (17) than
ever before, which helped to raise over £400 at the Café on Friday. The FoGR also took £740 at their
Grand Sale while all 100 copies of Playfair that were available flew off the shelf. With other sales of memorabilia etc. sales totalled £1773.
* For the two Royal London One-Day Cup floodlit games on Tuesday, May 2 and Friday, May 12, the
FoGR have announced that the Café will open between 4pm and 6pm.
Thanks to Dan Nice, LCCC Communications Manager and Neville Chadwick Photography, for their help with this article.
You'll find us on the first floor of 'The Meet' - the iconic barrel-roofed building in the corner at Fischer County Ground.
Like to be Involved?
The Friends of Grace Road is always pleased to hear from anyone who'd like to help – whether serving at the café, baking cakes, selling raffle tickets or sorting books.
Please contact us here: ThnaksA ‘Friends of Grace Road’ brochure has been discovered, thanks to the eagle eyes of Tony, one of our excellent stewards at Grace Road. He saw it in a charity shop.
After extensive research I personally have been unable to discover much about the brochure, except that the year of publication was 1976 and it was edition number 1. As far as I can tell, it was a short-lived publication and no other editions have been seen, by Tony or anyone else. A copy of the brochure is attached below. If you are of a certain age, you will be interested in many of the contributions as well as, maybe surprisingly the advertisements. For example there are articles by: Chris Balderstone who describes his day when he played first class cricket and league soccer on the same day. Micky Norman’s ‘Tale of two captains’, Tony Lock & Raymond Illingworth Sid Chamberlain, a well-know figure at Grace Road for many years Terry Harris on 'Broadcasting at Grace Road' and more .. The Adverts: There’s one for ‘Cobb’s Auto School’ owned by Alan Cobb who is a regular at the ground and of course father of Russell and grandfather of Josh Cobb. H.Julian also advertises and we’re told he’s the brother of Leicestershire favourite Ray Julian. There are many other Leicester businesses advertised including Tebbutt-Brown Sports. Woods Coaches feature and there is a list of trips to away games. One to Taunton is offered for the princely sum of £2.60 return, leaving Leicester at 5.30 in the morning. Another well-known face, Tommy Roebuck was the organiser of these trips. Thanks are due to Tony for discovering the brochure and to Dan, the Communications Manager at Leicestershire County Cricket Club for his help in the production of this item. Click here to see the brochure brochure.pdf
Modestly we say that we are famous for our homemade cakes.
Photos above kindly taken by Ed Melia.
(www.edmeliaphoto.com) |
Autumn Fayre on Sat 14th Oct. Pitches available, please contact us for more details
Books For Sale & Wanted
The Friends of Grace Road is home to pre-loved books that are looking for a good home. Why not pop upstairs of 'The Meet' to peruse sporting books from all eras.
There is an honesty box - all donations welcome. Help! WantedThe Friends have revised their services and range of activities and this can only be maintained if a sufficient number of new helpers volunteer their services to bake cakes, serve refreshments in the Café, or sell raffle tickets at RL50 and T20 games.
Without more help, the FoGR will no longer exist. To offer your help and that of your family and friends, even if it is only for a couple of hours every now and again, please call the Club on 0116 283 2128 or send an email to foxes@leicestershireccc.co.uk and the Club will send your details to the FoGR, or email directly to the FoGR at friendsofgraceroad@btinternet.com. Volunteers will be amply rewarded for committing their time to help the FoGR! |