Community news
Written by: Joe
Voting is now underway for the 2025 Lewes FC Values Awards!
The awards aim to recognise a player, staff member, volunteer, director, fan, owner or anyone else closely connected to our club community, who have gone above and beyond over the last 12 months.
We launched the awards to huge success last year and now we’re back for more.
The five award categories are:
• Ambition
• Bravery
• Community
• Dedication
• Equality & Empowerment
Voting ends at midnight on Tuesday 15 April.
There are three nominees in each award and you can read more about their amazing work below:
Ambition
Sarah Harvey – Sarah’s ambition is not born out of ego, but from an unshakable belief that her dreams are within reach, and she’s willing to chase them relentlessly. Sarah is a woman who wakes up each day with fierce determination. Her sport isn’t just a pastime—it’s a passion that she’s dedicated her life to and every movement is calculated, purposeful and well executed. Sarah sets goals that seem impossible to others, but for her, there’s no doubt that with grit and persistence, she’ll break through any barrier. She’s not just competing against others; she’s in a constant battle with herself, striving to be the best version of who she can be. She is brilliant and inspirational to all.
Lewes Junior Rooks – Under 13 Girls – The remarkable achievements of Lewes FC Juniors U13 Girls should be something we all celebrate. The team has been on a winning streak, finishing the season unbeaten as league champions and earning a well-deserved spot in the County Cup final. This incredible accomplishment is a testament to the hard work, skill, and dedication of the players and their coaching staff (Charlie Rowland and Ben Larribeau Wade).
Joe Short and Shrey Nilvarna – At the beginning of this season, there was a big gap in club communications, due to relegation and the loss of staff members. Shrey and Joe have stepped up together. Shrey has gone above and beyond to revamp the club’s social media content, creatively integrating our players into daily content, learning the platforms, and best practice. All this outside of his day-to-day job description, where he has delivered excellent comms for fan engagement. Joe has worked tirelessly behind the scenes on a daily basis to deliver our website updates, newsletter, matchday comms, and support the directors in all ownership comms, as well as diligently driving media outlets to cover news at Lewes FC. All this while overseeing other pillars in the club, namely facilities. Together they have brought in interns, created a media department and have a structure for the future.
Bravery
Zoe Smith – Zoe has publicly opened up about having endometriosis in an effort to raise awareness of the condition and explain to her teammates what it’s about. Awareness of endometriosis is minimal, which means sufferers often don’t even understand what it is, and how they go about seeking help. It has taken a huge amount of bravery and strength for Zoe to speak out, not just about the topic, but to be so forthcoming with the impact on herself, in an attempt to raise awareness and ensure that others are better informed, and perhaps go to get checked themselves.
Kelly Lindsey – Kelly returned to the club last summer and her commitment to Lewes FC and our community is undeniable. She took on the role of COO at a time when the club ecosystem needed her personality at the helm. Kelly is courageous, selfless and inspirational. She fights for the voices of each person to be heard. She has done this in so many ways and has now taken on the enormous task of getting Lewes FC through the most challenging time. Kelly has so much positive energy. Her dedication to our club and the commitment to our vision is second to none. When Kelly came in, she said “we stand on the shoulders of those before us, as custodians of this club”. Kelly stands on the shoulders of those giants and builds on that work with grace and ease. She has taken our club through an incredibly challenging period, scooping fans, staff and volunteers all up with her – no one else could have done this.
Tim Heal and Ryan Sullivan – Tim and Ryan are long-term members of Lewes FC, growing and changing as the years have progressed, rising to new challenges and taking on new tasks and roles in their stride. They are amazing people who get on with the task at hand. They showed incredible mental strength and resilience at the beginning of this season when they took on the the challenge of running the whole preseason for the Women’s first team, while manager Nat was away coaching New Zealand. They worked hard to ensure players were recruited properly and made to feel welcome during a period of immense change for the club. They both worked tirelessly to ensure the team was in the best possible position to compete from the first match of the campaign.
Community
Terry Morton – Terry is a comfort and a constant to this club. He works tirelessly to maintain the 3G pitch so that it is of the best standard for our men’s and women’s first teams and the Lewes Football Foundation teams. He volunteers his time on matchdays and is an ever-present at the Pan, even when he is recovering from an impromptu operation. The fact he cycles miles in the depths of winter just to attend games and to volunteer is amazing. He is one of the best volunteers we have, but he also takes a lot of responsibility on. He heads up the maintenance volunteers, he takes on additional volunteers from other organisations, he assists with the most random of tasks and he does it all with a warm smile.
Anthony Kalume – Tony is a driving force at Lewes FC and has been incredible with all that he brings to the community garden. He takes a hands-on approach to ensure that the garden is always a site of prosperity. Tony’s work with community groups, youth, and of course, his efforts in securing funding are second to none. This enables people to keep coming and secures the longevity of projects centred around the garden. He also volunteers on matchdays in the club shop! Tony’s service to the club is something that Lewes FC can be proud of, it enables the club to consistently invite our community in. Tony is inclusive, welcomes everyone to the garden, and dedicates a huge amount of time and attention to building a better future. He also works with club staff to create ambitious and exciting events to broaden the club’s community presence.
Lewes Football Foundation leaders – A collective vision to bring together all our community members under one roof is no easy task. The energy, effort, time, commitment, and perseverance to take on this project and overcome all the hurdles along the way is invaluable to the Lewes FC community. We cannot be a community club without these voluntary efforts and commitment to the greater purpose of football. Establishing the Foundation has not been easy. The founding members have brought their energy and collective effort to move the Foundation forward and collaborate positively with the club, while creating new opportunities for more people to benefit from football, health, and wholeness together. The 3G is a hive of activity and it is thanks to the vision of the Foundation leaders that this has been possible.
Dedication
Paul Denny – Paul has been a volunteer for many years helping with different duties around the club on match days. Paul’s volunteer duties this season have focused on hospitality for Men’s and Women’s first-team matches. He arrives at the Pan long before the gates open and is still there long after the final whistle has blown. The club gets such amazing feedback from anyone who Paul interacts with, and he is a shining light in the boardroom for all-important guests to the club. He is such a dedicated and kind-hearted person who the club and his community value very much!
Barry Haffenden – Barry is an unsung hero who eschews the limelight, selflessly dedicating himself to club, Supporters Club, and community for over 15 years. He ran the club shop, in-person and online, from 2011 – 2021, purveying goods both at the Pan and sending out parcels to fans the world over. When he took over, the shop was only open for Men’s games; he opened it for Women’s and U18s games, putting around £58,000 over 10 years into the club’s coffers. He has acted as volunteer coordinator for all Men’s home match days, putting in countless hours to ensure enhanced fan experiences. He is responsible for volunteers being at every match covering essential roles, and has worked pretty much every role – including cooking the players’ meals and serving as linesman. Since 2011, Barry has been a stalwart member of the LFC Supporters Club committee. He raises incalculable funds through golf days and sponsored walks, among others, which ultimately have found their way back to the club in the form of construction, maintenance, and repair projects.
Maintenance volunteers – A group of volunteers that turn up every Thursday to complete maintenance projects around the Pan and 3G pitch. Their work allows the club to be more financially sustainable. The volunteers deserve recognition individually for everything that they bring to the club, and the hours of hard work that they endure to make sure that all is running like clockwork in the background. We are so lucky to have such a dedicated group of individuals supporting the club. They are entertaining, sociable and create a vibrant and engaging space. They have also recently taken on the support of vulnerable people and they are always there to put a smile on your face if things are a little stressful. The Thursday Maintenance Crew, as they’re affectionately know, are inclusive, proactive, and they make a very good cup of tea!
Equality & Empowerment
Clara Larribeau Wade – Clara has negotiated Lewes FC Juniors’ first-of-its-kind sponsorship agreement with the UK’s #1 period underwear and sportswear brand, WUKA. As part of this incredible partnership, every player received a free pair of WUKA period pants to support them in staying active and confident during their periods, plus discounts for other products. Research shows that one in two girls drop out of sports after primary school, with 71% avoiding physical activities during their periods. Clara’s vision to secure this partnership is a testament to her commitment to breaking down barriers to girls’ participation in football.
Bambi Burks – Actively collaborating with local organisations, creating social events which foster awareness and promote social change, Bambi has been integral to Lewes FC’s actions on matters that reflect the club’s values. In a recent collaboration with the University of Brighton, Bambi transformed the Rook Inn to create an art exhibition that positively impacted the local community and spread awareness of this important work. She has worked closely with food banks, building rapport and engaging the community. She has also led on Lewes FC’s sustainability initiatives with the Town Council to remove single-use plastic from our environment, as well as maintaining a keen focus on the long-term sustainability agenda of this club.
Nick Tigg – Nick is a Lewes Town Councillor and has worked closely with the club to launch a material change of lasting benefit and societal change. The football club’s sustainability initiative to remove single-use plastic matchdays by using the Town Hall’s reusable cups in pre-season 2024 made it possible for Lewes FC to reach its vision. This has also brought the club closer to other enterprises in Lewes. With Nick’s support, and the support of the Town Council, Lewes FC have been recognised locally, fostered better relationships with other purpose-driven organisations, and even won an award for sustainability!