Before the recent home game with Metropolitan Police, a presentation was made to a special couple who have been associated with the club for over 65 years.
Harold and Marina Needs are familiar faces to many at the Cygnet Health Care Stadium, but their activity will now be confined to watching games from the stand after their retirement at the end of last season. Harold first became involved with the club in the mid 1950’s when he was on the main committee and helped man one of the two now disappeared pay boxes at the Hamilton Road end of the ground. He then joined the old Taunton FC Supporters Club where he served as Vice-Chairman and Secretary until the Club broke up. When Taunton Town became a Limited Company, he became a Director of the club where, apart from a brief break, he remained until he stepped down several years ago. Marina meanwhile served in the now defunct tea bar at the end of the main stand for a long period. During recent times they have managed the boardroom hospitality for match and visiting club officials.
Harold commented:” We have been involved with the club for many years and still get much enjoyment from watching the games and travelling to support the team. We are both still committed in our way and will continue to support the club and team as long as we are able. Up The Peacocks!”
Chairman Kevin Sturmey paid tribute to the couple, saying:” People like Harold & Marina are the lifeblood of clubs like ours and they are irreplaceable. Their combined ages exceed 170 so we think they deserve a rest, but we will miss seeing them in the Boardroom, however they will continue to represent us at away matches as we will still need tea samplers! It won’t be the same without their unique hosting skills, but times move on, and Harold & Marina deserve the time to just watch the team now and hope there are many exciting times ahead for them both to enjoy.
The Boardroom here will never be the same, but we all have to realise the world will never go backwards and in the new world hosting will need to change to protect all of us as we come out of the Pandemic into the new world we now live in.
Have a great retirement Harold & Marina and enjoy the football now in the VIP area!”
Harold and Marina are seen being presented with a framed painting of the Stadium by Kevin.