Most of you will have noticed that Kettering's smart new kit carries new logos on them. This was a decision taken by the Executive Committee to honour the memory of Mens 5th team player Gavin Ferries who sadly died in the summer. Home shirts carry Kettering Mind and the away shirts Time to Change, Northamptonshire logos respectively.

Chairperson Jaime met up with Mind representative Steph Orr at the weekend for a photo and said:-
‘Now, more than ever, Mental Health is so important, that is why Kettering Hockey Club has chosen to support such a great charity, in the name of MIND, and we are proud to wear both the MIND and Time to Change Logos on our playing shirts!’

Steph commented:-
'We were saddened to hear of the passing of Gavin and hope that with adding Kettering Mind and Time to Change's logos on players shirts we can raise awareness surrounding mental health and encourage individuals to speak out about their own experiences. Prioritising mental health has never been more critical than it is now. New mental health problems have developed as a result of the pandemic, and existing mental health problems have gotten worse. We are thankful for the support from Kettering Hockey Club in ensuring everyone in our community has access to mental health support. '

The printing on the shirts is being funded by Club members who have kindly donated money for this to be made possible so its not costing the charity anything. We are just raising awareness. We have set up a donation page on our website in the Shop. Its a normal ticket where a donation can be made to Mind, which was Gavin's nominated charity. Please help us make a difference.

We have retired Gavin's shirt (number 65) as a mark of respect and are delighted that Gavin's father now has a new Kettering home shirt, number 65, kindly donated by our kit providers, Printable Promotions.

For more details about the work that Kettering Mind do click HERE or for Time to Change, Northamptonshire click HERE

Remember, its OK to not be Ok and your teammates are always there for you and we have a dedicated Welfare team led by Welfare Officer, Nigel Parkes. Nigel's contact details are on the website under Contact.