Hundreds pay respects to Chippenham Sports Club stalwart (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Hundreds pay respects to Chippenham Sports Club stalwart

12:20pm Tuesday 23rd December 2008

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Around 300 people crammed into the Chippenham Sports Club to pay their final respects to the late chairman Tim Waycott.

Mr Waycott, 44, from Kington Langley, who had chaired the club since 1996, died two weeks after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.

After a private funeral service on Friday, friends, colleagues and team mates gathered for a thanksgiving service in memory of the builder and property developer, who had one son Tom, 12.

His widow Joanna, 38, said: “I was taken aback by just how many people came to celebrate Tim’s life – it just went to show how popular he was.

“Our son Tom gave a really moving speech about his dad and there was not a dry eye in the house.

“It was very emotional, but at the same time it was nice to hear everyone’s memories of Tim.

“We had work colleagues, people who used to play skittles and cricket with him, friends and family – anyone who had ever met him really.

“I would really like to thank everyone who came to the service and for all of their support for our family – it has meant the world to us.”

Mr Waycott was heavily involved with all aspects of the club, having also been the building contractor who built the new club house.

He was also the driving force behind proposals for a new state-of-the-art indoor air hall for all sports.

It was fitting that the charitable body Sports England decided to invest £125,000 in the air hall on the day of the thanksgiving service.

Mrs Waycott has now formally set up The Tim Waycott Trust, which will fund youth sport in the town, and she also hopes to arrange a series of tribute matches in the new year.

Club president Bob Corke said the sheer amount of people at the memorial was testament to Mr Waycott’s popularity.

He said: “The memorial was extremely well attended and just goes to show what sort of impact this one man had on our club.

“Without his influence we would almost certainly not be regarded as the top sports club in Wiltshire.

“Tim was a fine man and a brilliant chair for us. He will be sorely missed but fondly remembered by everyone at the club.”

Mr Corke also said it was fitting that Sport England decided to invest £125,000 into the new air hall at the club on the day of Mr Waycott’s funeral as this was something he had been heavily involved in.

He said: “Tim really was the driving force behind this plan and it is down to his vision that it is all coming to fruition.”

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