Cumbrian Clubs Raise £2800 for Charity
In September this year, three Cumbrian netball clubs came together to raise £2,800 for Eden Valley Hospice. The fundraising efforts of Penrith, Meerkats, and Harraby Netball Clubs were focused on a charity netball tournament held at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Penrith, which ran alongside a raffle, and in memory of three local netballers who the Cumbrian netball community have lost far too soon. Nichola Jackson (Penrith NC), Jodie Hodgson (Harraby NC) and Jen Manning (Meerkats NC) were much-loved and sorely-missed members of their clubs, and were remembered fondly by all at the tournament on 20 September 2025. Despite the rain forcing play indoors, the tournament was a great success, welcoming eight teams from across Cumbria and the North West. Each team pulled out all the stops to compete at a high standard throughout the day, over several short-form matches which were split into a cup and plate competition. The Cup was won by Harraby Netball Club, with Mavericks coming in second place. They were followed by Meerkats B and Penrith 1 in third and fourth respectively. In the Plate division, the winners were Penrith 2, followed by Meerkats A, Kendal NC, and Diamonds NC (Wigan) in second to fourth places. The honour of Player of the Tournament was shared by Lisa Carruthers (Harraby NC) and Clovis Sleath (Penrith NC). Penrith NC Chair, Caroline Tyson, said of the event – “It was brilliant to be able to join forces with our fellow netball clubs of Meerkats and Harraby in the running of this fundraiser. It’s the second year that we’ve organised a memorial tournament like this and it’s gone from strength to strength. Next year, we hope to welcome more teams from all over the county and region to remember our loved ones that we lost too soon.” The funds raised in their memory have been donated to Eden Valley Hospice, a charity close to many in the community. On the evening of 21 October 2025, Vicki Lesley of Eden Valley Hospice and hospice mascot Hospuss, joined members from the organising clubs alongside fellow Carlisle Netball League teams to celebrate and mark the donation. She remarked that “at Eden Valley Hospice we rely on the kindness and generosity of the local community to ensure we can continue to provide the very best care to people with life limiting conditions. We are so grateful to Penrith Netball Club and everyone who donated at the tournament. They raised an amazing amount and their support means the world to us.” Thanks and immense gratitude are extended to all local business donors who supported the fundraising raffle with their generosity, as well as the event volunteers and wider supporters. Another memorial tournament is being scheduled for September 2026.
Registrations Open for 2025 Charity Netball Tournament
Penrith Netball Club is proud to announce the return of its annual Charity Netball Tournament, set to take place on Saturday 20th September 2025 at Ullswater Community College, Penrith. The event, organised in partnership with Meerkats Netball Club and Harraby Netball Club, promises a day of sport, community spirit, and charitable giving. Following the success of last year’s event, this year’s tournament will be held in memory of three much-loved members of the Cumbrian netball community: Nichola Jackson, Jodie Hodgson, and Jen Manning. To honour their legacy, all proceeds from team entry fees will be donated to Eden Valley Hospice, a local charity providing compassionate care and support for those with life-limiting illnesses. The tournament is open to teams of up to 10 players, with a minimum age requirement of 14 years. England Netball affiliation is not required. All participating teams are asked to supply an Into-level or above umpire, who will be neutrally assigned on the day. The tournament is designed to be fun and casual, and there is no requirement to have ever played competitively before! Enjoyment is the #1 priority! Further event details, including match schedules and additional fundraising activities, will be shared in the coming weeks. In the meantime, team registrations are now open and can be completed via the Penrith Netball Club website.
Penrith Netball Win North West Club of the Year
Penrith Netball Club have scooped the award for Community Club of the Year at this year’s North West ONE Awards, held near Wigan on 12 July. These awards, run by England Netball and their nine regional management boards, celebrate the achievements of netball volunteers across the country. The initial stages are held at regional level, and it is here that Penrith NC have come away as winners. The Community Club of the Year award aims to recognise clubs that have made an outstanding contribution and a positive impact within their community over the past two years. For Penrith NC, this impact was clear in their award nominations which highlighted the club’s fundraising raffle and tournament. The event, held in September 2024, raised just over £2,700 in aid of Beep Doctors, in memory of Nichola Jackson, a member of the club who passed away suddenly in March 2024. Four club members travelled to the awards and, as part of the winner’s announcement, they were surprised with a video from Dr Theo Weston of Beep Doctors who shone a light on how the funds were used to support the organisation’s life-saving work across Cumbria. Similarly highlighted by NW Netball Vice Chair Phil Owen was the strength of Penrith NC’s Bee Netball and junior sections which have grown hugely over the past two years. The club have also introduced new Summer Sessions, returning for a second year on 14th and 15th August. These sessions provide the opportunity for new and current players, aged 6 to 14, to enjoy the sport during the school holidays, outside of the club’s regular sessions. Upon accepting the trophy, club chair Caroline Tyson expressed that this award is “not just recognition for us, but for what everybody in Cumbria is doing.” Speaking after the event, she thanked all members of the club, as well as parents, coaches, umpires, and wider supporters, stating that, “It takes more than a committee to run a club, and this award is a testament to the community we collectively continue to build each year.” Penrith NC progresses to the national ONE Awards in October to be judged alongside winners from the other eight regions and hopefully take home the national Community Club of the Year award.
PNC Raises £2702 for Beep Doctors
On 26 September, Penrith Netball Club gathered members of its senior section to present a cheque for £2,702 to Dr Theo Weston of Beep Doctors Cumbria. Their fundraising efforts, undertaken throughout August and September involved the organisation of a charity netball tournament and raffle in memory of the late Nichola Jackson, of Penrith, who passed away suddenly in March 2024 along with Rosie Jackson. Nichola was a friend to many, a much-loved member of Penrith Netball Club, captaining the club’s development squad, Penrith Lakers, for several seasons. The charity tournament, held on 07 September at Ullswater Community College in Penrith, welcomed teams from Carlisle as well as Penrith Netball’s own squads to compete at the inaugural event. Competitors and spectators enjoyed a day of glorious sunshine for the tournament, alongside a netball shooting challenge and chuck-a-duck competition. The winners on the day were Penrith Swifts, closely followed by Mavericks Netball from Carlisle who came in second place with the final match of the day being the decider. Penrith Swifts took the game with a score of 14-5. Alongside the charity tournament, Penrith Netball Club organised a fundraising raffle which attracted a huge amount of donations from many local businesses. The club would like to take this opportunity to thank all the raffle donors once more for their generosity, and extend this to everyone who bought tickets as well. Club chair, Caroline Tyson, says “We have been blown away by the support offered to the club over the last few months, and we are beyond proud to have raised such a significant amount of money for the Beep Doctors. The work that the doctors do is invaluable and I’m so glad we can help in this way, especially in memory of our friend Nic Jackson who was such a key member of our netball family.” Moving forward, the club aims to host another memorial tournament in September 2025, and annually thereafter.
Charity Tournament Success for PNC
On Saturday 07 September, we held our inaugural tournament in memory of Nichola Jackson under the blazing sunshine at Ullswater Community College. We welcomed teams from Harraby and Mavericks in Carlisle alongside three Penrith teams who battled it out in short-form round-robin matches. Our thanks go to the players who travelled down to take part, as well as our many event volunteers, including Jane Holme for organising the raffle and refreshments (with the help of Janet Addison), Harriet Holme for managing the competitive elements, Isobel S. for manning our netball shooting challenge, and Jessica & Ellie T. for managing the chuck-a-duck competition. The day started well, albeit very toasty, meaning a change of schedule was required to manage the heat. All teams and players persevered, though, and played some fabulous netball on UCC’s outdoor courts. Penrith 2 and Mavericks took the wins in the first two games, the latter repeating the feat in the next set of matches. In Round 3, Harraby took a convincing 24-13 win over Penrith 3 before falling to Mavericks in Round 4 by a single goal. The top two podium places were decided during the final match of the day between Penrith Swifts and Mavericks. Eventually, it was the Swifts that came away with the win, scoring 14 goals to Mavericks’ 5. The final standings on the day were: Penrith Swifts (20 pts) Mavericks (15 pts) Penrith 2 (12 pts) Harraby (8 pts) Penrith 3 (4 pts) Presentations of prizes for the winning teams were made by William and Harriet Jackson, husband and daughter of Nichola, who also presented the first Nichola Jackson Commitment Award to its first recipient, Katie Blackburn. This award is named in honour of our late teammate and dear friend, and will be awarded annually to the person who has shown unwavering dedication to Penrith Netball Club, as Nic did week after week, coming down to see us even when she was unable to play whilst carrying baby Rosie. Katie Blackburn, is the very embodiment of commitment. She contributes vast amounts of positivity and effort to everything she does on-court and off, and is a crucial member of the PNC family. Moving forward, we aim to build upon this success and organise an annual memorial tournament in September each year. So, watch this space for future updates!
Penrith U16 Take Third Place
Penrith’s U16 team claimed a third place spot at Sunday’s Cumbria Premier Netball League tournament; a fantastic result considering this was their first outing as a team. The day began well, and saw Penrith U16s start their campaign with a win against Meerkats B and keeping them to zero goals. Their second game also brought a toughly-fought win against Kirbky Tigers – a match which finished 9-6 to Penrith. The latter half of the morning brought some more intense games. Penrith took consecutive losses in their final three games against Westmorland Wanderers, Meerkats A, and Kirkby Lions. A full breakdown of Penrith’s results can be seen below. Special mention must also go to Maddy Burke from Penrith U16, who was came in joint second on the Player of the Tournament rankings. After each game, each team must name an opposing Player of the Match; Maddy was awarded the PoM title following three(!) of our five games. Our other PoMs were Hannah Davis and Poppy Sidwell. Our grateful thanks are sent to the tournament organisers, officials, umpires, fellow teams, and parents for supporting this event. We’re looking forward to another round in the new season! Penrith U16 Results Game Opponent Result Score PoM 1 Meerkats B WIN 6 – 0 Maddy Burke 2 KL Tigers WIN 9 – 6 Hannah Davis 3 Wanderers LOSS 2 – 15 Maddy Burke 4 Meerkats A LOSS 3 – 10 Poppy Sidwell 5 KL Lions LOSS 1 – 23 Maddy Burke
Winter League Update
Now we’re starting to get into the ‘rematch’ phase of the season, it’s time for a mid-season table update. The first half of the season has been solid for both Swifts and Lakers with plenty of notes to work on but also lots of greats on which we can build. At this (approximate) halfway point, Swifts are sitting in the top half of the table in 4th place, and Lakers follow them in 8th. Penrith Swifts The Swifts have enjoyed a strong first round of matches, putting lots of goals on the board in the process. Despite sitting in 4th, they have the second-highest number of goals scored across all teams. Their challenge for the second half of the season will be to remain cool and composed in the remaining matches against the top-rated teams of Westmorland Wanderers and Meerkats 1. Their next game will be on 16 April 2024 vs. Stewartry NPT. Penrith Lakers Compared to last season, Penrith Lakers are flying high this time around. This development side has not only shown that they can grow into matches but can also (importantly) win them! A recent highlight was their game against table-toppers, Harraby 1, where they finished only five goals down on the very well-drilled side. As we move into the second half, the Lakers will need to keep pushing on and mastering the basics in each match to ensure they make the most of every second in possession. Finally, we’d like to thank all the league organisers and officials who have volunteered their time so far this season. Here’s to a great second half!
Penrith Bees Shine on International Stage
On Saturday 27th January, the youngest members of Penrith Netball Club took to the international court as team mascots at the recently-concluded Nations Cup. The competition was contested over four days between England, current world champions Australia, New Zealand, and Uganda. Australia came away with the trophy on Sunday afternoon, after putting out a dominant performance against England. New Zealand took third place, and Uganda finished in fourth. Penrith Netball’s ever-growing crop of ‘Bee Netballers’ are the youngest members of the club, ranging from five to nine years old. The Bee Netball initiative, led by England Netball, aims to encourage boys and girls into netball in a fun, friendly, and dynamic environment. In 2022, Penrith Netball Club was selected as one of only 127 trailblazer clubs nationwide to lead the Bee Netball movement across England. The group has gone from strength to strength since, and it is the only active Bee Netball team in Cumbria. Club chairwoman and Bees lead coach, Caroline Tyson, says “we have a brilliant and dynamic group of Bee Netballers, and it’s amazing that we offer netball sessions for everyone from the age of five upwards at Penrith. We are so pleased to be able to bring opportunities such as these to our youngest players. For many of them, it’s their first taste of international netball, so we hope we can inspire them, and show where netball can take them in the future.” The England Roses squad also included Cumbrian netballer and fan favourite, Helen Housby, amongst the roster. Housby has recently been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list, recognised for her services to netball. During England’s game against New Zealand on Saturday 27th, Bee Netballer Amelia was given the honour of walking out onto court with Housby. She says of her experience, “it was amazing to be on court with the England team, and Helen Housby especially!” After the match, the group were pleased to meet Housby’s teammates Eleanor Cardwell, Razia Quashie, and Funmi Fadoju, getting lots of photos with the international netball stars.
Winning Start for the Swifts
The Penrith Swifts set their intentions for this season right from the get-go during their Tuesday night match-up with Meerkats 4. The first quarter saw the Swifts take an early 14-2 lead against the relatively young Meerkats 4 team, who took a while to settle into their rhythm. The Blackburn/Holme shooting duo took a fantastic run of 11 back-to-back goals before their opponents netted a first. The second quarter brought another surge of energy for Penrith Swifts as they put another 14 goals on the board, compared to the Meerkats’ six. The Swifts entered onto shaky ground in the third quarter however as they were swept up into a netballing whirlwind, giving away a number of passes in the process. The Penrith Swifts took home their highest quarter score yet to finish strongly in the fourth and final eleven minutes, further pushing their lead over Meerkats 4. Overall, it was a great opener to the 2023-2024 season for the Swifts who hope to build upon previous winter and summer league successes. They also added a new name to their roster, Zoe Heathcock, who joins the club this season. Congratulations to Zoe on her league debut, but also to Cara Watson who was named Player of the Match in this first outing. Our thanks go to the umpires and scorers for the evening, and we look forward to seeing the Swifts back out on the court on 03 October when they take on Harraby 1.
Introducing our 2023/24 League Captains
We are thrilled to announce the appointment of our new league captains for the 2023-2024 season. These captains have been elected ready for the new Carlisle Netball Winter League which begins on Tuesday 26 September 2023. Penrith Swifts will be lead by Eleanor Holme, who enters her second year as the Swifts’ captain. She is one of Penrith’s most capped players and is on course to make her 50th appearance this season. Millie Coates joins her as the team’s vice-captain. She is a fantastic defender who is taking up a leadership role for the first time at Penrith. Penrith Lakers have two co-captains to steer them through the next league season. Sarah Richardson join the Lakers this season following a season with the Swifts as vice-captain, bringing her experience of captaincy to her new squad. Nichola Jackson takes up the mantle of co-captain alongside Sarah. Although she won’t be taking to court this season, Nic’s previous experience with the Lakers will stand her and the team in great stead for 2023-2024. MARCH 2024 UPDATE: Lakers’ leadership team has now changed. Please see the League page for more information. We cannot wait to take to court again with our new squads and captains. The first match, on Tuesday 26 September will be a Penrith derby, as Swifts and Lakers face off against each other, both hoping to take the win to start. For more information on the league fixtures and results, please visit our League page. Eleanor Holme Swifts Captain Millie Coates Swifts Vice-Captain Sarah Richardson Lakers Co-Captain Nichola Jackson Lakers Co-Captain
