Last week Thornbury Town Football Club officials Graham Smith and Pete Webber were thanked for their work by the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at a reception for Community Champions from across the UK.
The reception, hosted at 10 Downing Street, was dedicated to people and organisations from all corners of the country who are nominated as a 'thank you' for the contributions they make in their communities.
Thornbury Town FC have three adult teams, with their First Team who play in the Premier Division of the Uhlsport Hellenic League after promotion in 2021. The club’s junior section fields teams from Under 6s up to Under 18s.
The club were nominated and brought to London by local MP for Thornbury, Luke Hall in recognition of their work to promote grassroots football development and expand the women’s game for girls and young people in South Gloucestershire.
With the help of the FA ‘Wildcats’ initiative, the club is developing a dedicated girls football programme for ages 5-13, as well as older age groups.
At the event, Luke and the Prime Minister had a chance to discuss with Graham and Pete their ambitions to expand their pitches to help them increase the age range of the teams and to also add further additional girls’ teams to give more young people the opportunity to play football.
After the reception, the club put out a statement saying: “All members of Thornbury Town FC were honoured and delighted to be chosen as Community Champions by Luke Hall MP.”
Club chairman Pete Webber said: “Being invited to a reception in Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister was a day vice-chair Graham Smith and I will never forget. This nomination was a proud moment for the club and everyone associated with it.”
In response, Luke Hall MP said: “As a local man I was delighted to be able to recognise the hard work of Thornbury Town as a key local organisation. They are an excellent community club and have done so much to develop the game here in South Gloucestershire. I look forward to seeing the club grow and will be working with them to ensure they receive the support they need.”
Thornbury are currently on the lookout for volunteers to help out on home match days.
