Specsavers Potters Bar and Potters Bar Bowls Club are celebrating a successful start to their new community partnership following the club’s traditional Bank Holiday Spoon Drive.
The Spoon Drive is a long-standing event at Potters Bar Bowls Club. Revived after the Second World War when rationing meant prizes needed to be modest, winners traditionally received a normal or novelty spoon, while those finishing last were awarded the wooden spoon.
Teams are drawn at random and compete in a series of six-end matches, accumulating scores throughout the competition.
The event brought members, families and friends together for an afternoon of bowls, eye and hearing health advice and free hearing screenings from the Specsavers team.
Specsavers Potters Bar retail director Kenny Cameron says: ‘We wanted this partnership to be about getting involved in the community in a meaningful way, so it was fantastic to see members embracing the day and taking the opportunity to talk to us about their sight and hearing.
‘The Spoon Drive is a brilliant club tradition and we’re delighted that this partnership is set to become an annual event. We’re looking forward to building on the relationship with Paul and the club over the coming years.’
This year marked the first time the popular Bank Holiday event had been sponsored by Specsavers Potters Bar.
A club member also handmade a special Specsavers Spoon Drive trophy for the occasion, giving equal billing to both ends of the competition in keeping with its light-hearted traditions. Following the event, the trophy will now be mounted in the club pavilion, where it will remain on display until it is contested again next August.
Paul Stevens, sponsorship team leader at Potters Bar Bowls Club, says: ‘The day was a great success from our point of view and it was brilliant to see so many members taking advantage of the hearing screenings. It really brought home the value of having Specsavers there and making these checks so accessible to our members.’
The club has already confirmed it intends to make the Specsavers-sponsored Spoon Drive event an annual fixture.
Paul adds: ‘We really appreciate the enthusiasm Specsavers has shown for getting involved with the club and becoming part of what we do.
‘We’re keen to continue building the relationship and, after such a successful first event, we fully intend to do it all again next year. The trophy will have pride of place in the pavilion until then.’
The new partnership comes as Potters Bar Bowls Club looks ahead to another important milestone, with the club set to celebrate its centenary in 2029.
Plans are already being developed for a programme of local and district-wide events during the centenary year, with the club keen to continue strengthening its relationships with local businesses and organisations in the run-up to the celebrations.
To find out more about eye and hearing care at Specsavers Potters Bar, or to book an appointment, go online at https://www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/pottersbar