LX HOCKEY CLUB – CHARITY OF THE YEAR – MND ASSOCIATION –
CLUB REF : 719983

In recent years LX Hockey Club have selected a 'Charity of the Year' to support during any season. For 2021/22 our chosen charity is the MND Association in memory of two hockey stalwarts who lost  their own personal battles in recent years to Motor Neurone Disease.

Back in 2017 Gerald Wilkinson passed away after a yearlong battle with Leukaemia and Motor Neurone Disease. Gerald was a real hockey globe trotter' having played in more than 50 countries and represented England at o40, o60, o65, o70 and o75. In 1998 he captained England to a 4-1 win over the Netherlands in the inaugural o60 World Cup in Utrecht. From the late 1990s Gerald started his ‘second’ hockey career and helped form the England LX Club and continued playing hockey into his 80s and only stopped when illness took its inevitable toll.

Then just this year, in January 2021, John Land lost his 4 year battle with MND. He was instrumental in promoting o60s hockey in the North of England so that the North now run sides at o60, o65, o70 level in the regional tournaments, having won gold at o65 and o70 level. He was also the first north regional representative for the England LX club bringing many North players into international grand master’s hockey.

As Covid 19 severely impacted our clubs local, national and international hockey activities in 2020/21 the Committee agreed to 'give something back' to its membership by subsidising the pitch hire costs for all the Intra Club and, where possible, our National events and activities for the remainder of 2021. As members and participants will not be asked to contribute to pitch hire costs at these events, we instead ask that they show their generosity of spirit by contributing to the Motor Neurone Disease Association. 

So please do support this worthy cause - and above all enjoy your hockey, or whatever other sport you enjoy, in remembrance of all those colleagues we have all lost over the previous years.