A local charity amateur football competition, JW Hunt Cup, has marked its place in local history by unveiling a blue plaque awarded by the Wolverhampton Civic and Historic Society.
The JW Hunt Cup is a charity amateur football competition that was started in 1926, involving dozens of amateur football teams and hundreds of players over the years. It has also uniquely supported Beacon Centre for the Blind as its sole beneficiary charity and to date has raised over £330,000 for the Centre
Each year the competition runs through several knockout rounds through the autumn to spring seasons, culminating in a final hosted at the Molineux Stadium in May time. Every game is highly competitive and the winners of the final get to hold a glorious silver trophy dating from 1926, adorned with the Chillington Tool company emblem of crocodiles as its two handles.
Representatives from Beacon Centre joined the JW Hunt Cup committee and guests at the Molineux Stadium in the Steve Bull stand, where a permanent exhibition of JW Hunt memorabilia exists, to celebrate the unveiling of the blue plaque and thank the committee for its exceptional support over the years.
The cup is named after John William Hunt, who was a local businessman and founder of the Chillington Tools company; he was also a staunch supporter of local charities. JW Hunt’s great grandson and great great grandson, Jon Hunt and Tim Hunt, also attended the unveiling ceremony.
Jon Hunt said: “It is fantastic to think that a charitable event my great grandfather was involved in so many years ago is still taking place and raising so much money for such a worthwhile charity. My son and I feel a genuine sense of pride in being connected to this event.”
During the ceremony, Beacon Centre Chief Executive, Arwyn Jones, thanked everyone who is involved in the cup, saying: “We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing support from the JW Hunt Cup; running this competition every year since 1926 and raising over £330,000 for our charity is an amazing achievement. Without your support we would not be able to provide the services and care that people living with sight loss have come to depend on.”