Workington Town rugby club's heritage celebrated at exhibition

BBC News

19-02-2025

A town's rich rugby league history will be celebrated when current and old players join fans for an exhibition.The Helena Thompson Museum in Workington is opening its Workington Town RLFC archives of old photos, cups, memorabilia, including footage from the team's win at Wembley in the 1952 Challenge Cup.For Tony Wareing, a director at the museum, that match meant something on a personal level, as his late father James, known as Pongo, played in it."It's absolutely brilliant - you can see all the spectators with cloth caps and mufflers - it's great," he said.
He also remembers his mother polishing the cup each week to make sure it always looked its best, he said.But Mr Wareing is not the only one to have a personal connection to Town, as the team is known among fans.
Tricia Poole, museum manager, remembers running onto the pitch when the team won the Lancashire Cup in 1977.Her late father Joe Holliday, a die-hard Town fan, is credited with gathering one of the biggest bodies of research on the club and its players."I've been brought up on rugby league - I didn't know anything else," she said.Mr Holliday and his wife Dorothy, who still volunteers at the museum aged 79, spent many weekends at libraries around the country gathering information, which culminated in many books and stacks of documents still stored at their family home.
Some of his memorabilia is now on permanent display at the museum, which also features an image of Mr Wareing's father."His photograph is on the landing, it's great to be able to say good morning to him every time I go up," he said.Last month a small event for current Town players was held at the museum, as the team prepares to celebrate the club's 80th anniversary this year.Debbie Smith, manager of the club's community trust, said: "Tricia, Dorothy and Tony are proud guardians of Joe's work and we as a club cannot thank Joe or the team at the Helena Thompson Museum enough."As a club we strive to get back to those glory days and know it will take hard work, dedication and a full team effort - the visit gave the lads inspiration and a sense of what we can aim to be again."The exhibition begins on Saturday at 10.00 GMT, with players attending from 11.00, and closes on Sunday.
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