National Croquet Week 2023
National Croquet Week 2023 is set for the week beginning 20th May. Once more we are partnering with the British Heart Foundation, adding a charity aspect to the week and the opportunity to involve local BHF volunteers in our activities. The week culminates in the Association Croquet Inter-Counties tournament on the south coast and in the build-up to that we will be nationally calling on the public to back a county. Each county will have a separate Facebook page which will carry messages and info from the team, but also details of events going on in and around the respective counties. This model will enable a second big shout-out to pull in the public around the Golf Croquet Inter-Counties too. Materials for use in the week are under preparation and will soon be available to download/order from the office.
Remember, 2023 will also see the start of our new Garden Croquet Membership to hopefully draw more casual players into the central fold. This new form of membership will be part of the national publicity mix.
The marketing team will be doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work to ensure a big splash for croquet across England ahead of the week, but we need all of you and our clubs to also get involved, arrange events to welcome the public, play on the inter-county rivalry, like the War of the Roses; each county has its own nemesis county, now is the time to use that to our advantage.
If your county is not competing then it makes a great call for new players to come forward, so that in future years you too can compete at the top table and put your neighbours to the metaphorical sword.
Please, when arranging activities, make sure you post details through to communications#croquet.org.uk that way we can ensure a central register of activity to share publicly and with our charity partner, hopefully enhancing public engagement in planned activities. Also, make sure events and news are tagged to respective County Facebook pages.
The week will also see the official launch of the new governing body, Croquet England, with events being planned across the country and with the media to give the week a really strong profile boost. More details to follow in future communications.
See here for more useful information for clubs.
Paul Hetherington, CA Marketing Director
#NationalCroquetWeek Fun From Around the Country
Follow Your County Team
Hertfordshire - https://www.facebook.com/HertfordshireCountyCroquet
Berkshire - https://www.facebook.com/BerkshireCountyCroquet
Buckinghamshire - https://www.facebook.com/BuckinghamshireCountyCroquet
Cheshire - https://www.facebook.com/CheshireCountyCroquet
Devon - https://www.facebook.com/DevonCountyCroquet
Dorset - https://www.facebook.com/DorsetCountyCroquet
Essex - https://www.facebook.com/EssexCountyCroquet
Glamorgan - https://www.facebook.com/GlamorganCountyCroquet
Gloucestershire - https://www.facebook.com/GloucestershireCountyCroquet
Kent - https://www.facebook.com/KentCountyCroquet
Lancashire - https://www.facebook.com/LancashireCountyCroquet
Middlesex - https://www.facebook.com/MiddlesexCountyCroquet
Norfolk - https://www.facebook.com/NorfolkCountyCroquet
Northamptonshire - https://www.facebook.com/NorthamptonshireCountyCroquet
Nottinghamshire - https://www.facebook.com/NottinghamshireCountyCroquet
Oxfordshire - https://www.facebook.com/OxfordshireCountyCroquet
Shropshire - https://www.facebook.com/ShropshireCountyCroquet
Somerset - https://www.facebook.com/SomersetCountyCroquet
Suffolk - https://www.facebook.com/SuffolkCountyCroquet
Surrey - https://www.facebook.com/SurreyCountyCroquet
Sussex - https://www.facebook.com/SussexCountyCroquet
Warwickshire - https://www.facebook.com/WarwickshireCountyCroquet
Wiltshire - https://www.facebook.com/WiltshireCountyCroquet/
Yorkshire - https://www.facebook.com/YorkshireCountyCroquet/
Here are a Few Events Happening Which Might be near You
Bury Croquet Club - Lancashire
At Bury Croquet Club we will be holding our annual National Croquet Week Open Day on Saturday 27th May 2023 at Whitehead Park Bury from 11am to 4pm at which we are also celebrating 35 years of croquet in Bury.
There will be stalls, tombola, refreshments, and children's mallet games and visitors will have the opportunity to try playing.
The event will be opened by the recently appointed Mayor of Bury, Cllr. Sandra Walmsley. Local councillors and Bury North MP James Daly have also been invited.
Watford - Hertfordshire
At Watford we're holding an open day 2pm-4pm on 28th May. https://www.facebook.com/events/1508632039674910/
Frinton - Essex
At Frinton we're holding Croquet taster sessions and demonstrations as part of the Open Day of the Frinton-on-Sea Lawn Tennis (and Croquet) club. https://fosltc.com/event/frinton-on-sea-lawn-tennis-club-open-day-2
Ipswich - Suffolk
Ipswich Croquet Club is planning an open day event to pay and play on 20th May, in aid of BHF in National Croquet Week May 20th 2023.
https://www.ipswichcroquetclub.com/
Tyneside - Tyne & Weir
Open day 11.00 to 15.00; May 21st as part of the Jesmond Festival.
York - Yorkshire
York CC has anticipated National Croquet Week with two free Try Croquet drop-in afternoons, on Saturday 29 April and Sunday 7 May, and will follow it up with an Introduction to Association Croquet course of four Wednesday evenings starting 31 May.
Guildford and Godalming - Surrey
As part of national croquet week, Guildford and Godalming Croquet Club will be holding a free taster session on Sunday 14 May. We acknowledge it is early, however, we had already had tournaments scheduled at the club for the next 2 weekends.
https://guildfordandgodalmingcroquetclub.co.uk/
Kenilworth Croquet Club - Warwickshire
In our own club in Kenilworth, we will be organising an Open Day to be held on Sunday 21st May. We have invited a number of local clubs and organisations to come along between 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm and try out the game, including u3a, British Legion, 41 Club, Probus No2, Senior Citizens, Lions & others. We hope to provide refreshments for the guests. The day will also be open for individuals, friends and families who would like to try their hand at our sport. We will be looking for a number of volunteers to help on the day, with setting up, running and clearing away at the end of the day.
https://www.ktscc.co.uk/croquet/
Edgbaston Croquet Club - Warwickshire
Edgbaston Croquet Club is starting an initiative aimed at people in early retirement looking for a new activity.
Outside of our normal club sessions, we are holding three Saturday morning "pay and play" events, the first on Saturday 20th May to coincide with the launch of National Croquet Week. Anything you can do to give us wider publicity would be most welcome. It is aimed at people completely new to croquet (which very few people have even heard about in the West Midlands!), with no obligation to join our club - rather just to spread the word.
The second and third similar events are scheduled for 24th June and 22nd July.
We have also just produced a new poster advertising the club which is being emailed to all our members to print and display wherever they can. I'm attaching a copy. Hopefully, this will direct people to our website, on which we are now promoting the three Saturday events.
Using this website
