Brodie Lodge Playing Field Trust celebrated its 25th anniversary with an event on Sunday 21 July, which featured a display of more than 90 classic cars and motorcycles, along with a barbecue, music and entertainment, and a range of auto-related and community stalls.
(See more photos here)
A heritage exhibit featuring posters created by Flore CE Primary School and material loaned by the Flore Heritage Society commemorated the connection between the playing field and its original benefactor Francis Brodie Lodge (1880 – 1967), co-founder of Lodge Plugs Ltd of Rugby, who was the son of the famous physicist and electrical pioneer Sir Oliver Lodge.
The event was officially opened by Brodie Lodge’s grandson, John Brodie McMillan, who was himself born in Flore House during the time his grandfather lived there.
“My grandfather was passionate about supporting his village community, and he had a firm belief in the value of sports – particularly football and cricket – towards promoting health and wellbeing,” said Brodie McMillan. “In choosing to donate this field to the village he found a perfect way to achieve both of those objectives, and I’m certain that he would be immensely proud to see the playing field as it is today. He would also approve of the conscientious way the Trustees work to preserve his legacy.”
“The family is proud of the work that ‘Grandpooh’ (as we affectionately called him) achieved in developing the technology commercialised by the Lodge Plugs company, including Sintox[1], the pink synthetic ceramic that made their high-voltage operation possible,” Brodie continued. “Lodge spark plugs and ignition systems were installed in every Spitfire and Flying Fortress that flew during World War Two, and after the war he received a letter from the President of the United States thanking him for being responsible for bringing so many American airmen safely home.”
By a strange coincidence, a Spitfire aeroplane flew over the Brodie Lodge Playing Field just after Mr McMillan finished speaking.
“We felt that including the classic vehicle display in our event would be a fitting way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the charitable trust that bears Brodie Lodge’s name,” said Susan Kerrison, Chair of Brodie Lodge Playing Field (BLPF) trustees. “The trust is run entirely by volunteers who work enthusiastically to raise funds towards the maintenance of the grounds, the play equipment and the pavilion, by organising monthly car boot sales each summer along with other fundraising activities.”
“The six-acre plot of land that became the playing field was very generously donated to the villagers of Flore in 1965 by Mr Lodge,” said Christine Littlewood, Chair of Flore Parish Council and Secretary of Flore Heritage Society. “For several years until the formation of the Trust it was administered by the Parish Council, which still takes responsibility for mowing the field every year.”
“We have been delighted by the support we’ve received from local classic car clubs and the owners of individual cars and bikes, as well as from the local community who turned out in large numbers to enjoy the festivities and the glorious weather,” said Geoff Kingston, a Brodie Lodge trustee and organiser of the classic vehicle display. “Based on Sunday’s success, we hope to make this an annual event.”
The Sunday event also featured a speech by Dean Gardner, coach of Weedon FC U11s who play all their home matches on the field, to celebrate the club’s achievements during the 2023 – 24 season, during which they were successful in the following competitions:
[1] Brodie Lodge himself named the ceramic ‘Syntox’, but the name appears to have been changed in recent years to ‘Sintox’, which is still manufactured in Rugby by Morgan Technical Ceramics.
[2] Weedon FC U11s were successful in winning the club’s first ever county cup trophy. The Weedon team was one of approximately 100 teams competing from across the county, and after seven rounds they reached the final and won 2-1.
[3] Each year Bugbrooke hosts a summer tournament for teams of different age groups. This particular Weedon team won the Bugbrooke Plate trophy at U8s level, and in June this year they won it again as U11s.
[4] The Weedon team won the Wootton St George tournament only three weeks ago. During a long day of 9 matches, Weedon only conceded a single goal, winning the final 2-1.
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