FACTORY VISIT: WORLD CONKER CHAMPIONSHIPS
This year NPS Solovair has proudly sponsored the World Conker Championships taking place in Southwick (near Oundle) on Sunday 11th October at the Shuckburgh Arms.
Ahead of the main event we invited several members of the World Conker Championships committee to visit the NPS factory and see how our Goodyear welted footwear is made. Furthermore, we explained how a conker is used by Duncan in the shoe room as his guide for the burgundy rub-off leather finish.
A traditional British outdoor pastime, the game of conkers using horse chestnuts was first recorded on the Isle of Wight in 1848 and grew in popularity during the 19th century. The game itself is played by two players who each have a conker threaded onto a piece of string and take turns striking each other's conker until one breaks.
Thousands attend the World Conker Championships every year on the second Sunday of October to watch conkerer’s from around the world battle for the titles of Conker King and Queen.
Founded in 1965, the primary mission of the World Conker Championships is to raise money for charities that support the visually impaired such as the RNIB, Hunts Society for the Blind, Northants Association for the Blind and Guide Dogs for the Blind.
