One of Beverley’s leading sporting lights will be remembered on a special day in the town.
Jim Thirsk was the first captain of the club that would later become Beverley RUFC, and was the man chiefly responsible for acquiring the land at Beaver Park in the 1960s.
He sadly died last year from Multiple System Atrophy. Now his widow Barbara and friend Fred Evans have organised a collection for Saturday 19 March in Saturday Market to raise funds for the Multiple System Atrophy Trust. The Beverley Pipe Band will be playing and giving their services to this worthwhile event for free.
Although Jim moved away from the area several times, his mark on the club history is indelible.
He was club captain of Longcroft Old Boys RUFC, the original club from which Beverley RUFC emerged, from its formation in 1959 until he moved away from the area to study at Cranfield Aeronautical College.
Returning to the town to work, he was the driving force behind the Beavers acquiring Beaver Park in the mid 1960s when they could no longer play at Longcroft School.
He again left the town in 1972, but shortly before his death he returned to the ground where he was able to see the progress made since his departure.
The club have a room named in Jim’s honour.
