9 Years Ago Harold Winton Received #QPR Lifetime Award

Thanks again. All fans should be grateful

This was the Official Site five Years Ago

HAROLD WINTON
Posted on: Wed 17 Nov 2004
The Board of QPR Holdings Plc announce that Mr Harold Winton is to take up the position of Honorary Life President of QPR FC.

Consequently he has stepped down as a Director of QPR Holdings with immediate effect.

The Board would like to thank him for his contribution to the Club, particularly in securing the services of Doudou, Dan Shittu and Marc Bircham.

These players have collectively made significant contributions to the overall improvement in the quality of the team over the last couple of seasons.

The Board wish him well for the future in his new role

MW, thanks for posting that, indeed well done to QPR for doing that. I wish your Dad all the best and thank him for his assistance in dark times, give him our regards.

One has to give Paladini a special mention for organising this, well done to you sir, a welcome and appreciated gesture.

Thanks for posting MW it was great to see your old man receiving the award.
Very well deserved, wish him all our best.

When you think of the influence especially of Shittu and also Bircham (maybe Doudou didn't quite work out), could easily argue without the Winton, financial support, we wouldn't have made it back to the Championship. (And presumably would never had Briatore/Mittal etc, etc, etc.)

I have somewhere the brochure for We Are QPR which I thought was a brilliant idea to raise money to buy players. (And I seem to recall Crouch gave 10,000 pounds towards it.) Never quite understood why didn't work out...

And just the Official Site on Matt Winton Charity raising...from 2002 (And I'm sure there's much else re Harold Winton in QPR history, if I look

And QPR Official Site, July 2002

Matt Winton rides to success

Posted on: Wed 17 Nov 2004
Rangers fan Matt Winton took on a massive task a few weeks ago when he agreed to take part in a cycle ride across Iceland in aid of diabetes research at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

Matt survived the trip, not without a few aches and pains, and below he takes us through his experiences on the ride and how everyone kept going by singing anti-Chelsea songs. Matt takes up the story:

I have just returned from our charity cycle ride through Iceland and wanted to extend my most sincere gratitude for all the support and generosity received.

In total we have already raised £30,000 from this trip that will go towards funding our pioneering project into Diabetes at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

These funds will be used towards the research and development of pancreas transplants from non - diabetic donors into diabetic patients and thus allow diabetics to live a life without insulin dependence. It is also believed that this will eventually lead to a cure for diabetes.

The cycle itself was much harder than I could have ever imagined and was not helped by a combination of the following factors: no shock absorbers on the bikes, incredibly heavy bike frames, the freezing Arctic Westerly headwind, room sharing with several heavy snorers and last but by no means least the Icelandic midnight sun. (Not ideally suited to a light sleeper in need of 8 hours a night!!)

The route quite typically was mainly uphill and to my disbelief upon arrival and after a flick through the Iceland guide book quickly realised that this was not the place for cycling!

Changeable weather, icy roads, mountainous valleys and the majority of it eastwards into a headwind, making the downhill almost as gruelling as up.

Heading off from Siglufjordur, one of Iceland's most Northerly points we cycled 335 kms East to Asbyrgi over the first three days. By day three, I could be heard regularly moaning "that was the worst day of my life".

When packing for this trip I had convinced myself that there was no need to take the requisite waterproofs and thermals. Instead opting for shorts, fingerless gloves and no fleece! I do however believe this to have been a blessing in disguise as I ended up spending much of these days feeling nothing but numbness in the legs, hands and feet.

The scenery was quite amazing; a post apocalyptic landscape of black deserts, smoking geysers, snow tipped mountains, sulphuric lakes and endless streams and waterfalls.

The cycling however meant that the only thing I could think about was getting to the end and because of this the views were lost to thoughts of "How the bleeden" hell I had got myself into this.

As you would expect from a group of QPR fans, drinking, singing and chanting were our entertainment on the coach or in the evenings; our favourites included "Sing when you're fishing" - at the locals, "It's a long way to Akureyri" - our final destination, every possible anti Chelsea song - all Icelandic's support the scum because of Eidur Gudjhonson.

Drinking in Iceland although fun at higher altitudes was far too expensive and a fiver for a pint meant that buying a round was to be avoided at all costs. From Asbyrgi we were all cheered with the news of Ollie's new signings and Adele's eviction.

We then cycled South to Lake Myvatn and then onto Akureyri, another 165 kms, where the bikes went back on the trailer and the drinking and partying could begin.

The legs did not have anything left in them but we still found the energy to have a really good knees up on Saturday night. We finished up with some whale watching on a boat in the Atlantic and then spent our last evening in Rekjavik where to our delight we found our hostel located next door to the stadium which was scene to one of Rangers greatest European away wins.

We spent our last afternoon at the Blue Lagoon, which is an amazing natural sulphur and volcanic rock pool, quite a good hangover remedy.

Iceland is an amazing place to visit at this time of year, 24 hours sunlight, friendly people and an amazing diversity of landscape. However leave the bike at home!

Finally I would like to thank the following people on behalf of "Sugar Free" for their generous support. Grant Poe, Tony Williamson, Kim Hessner, Councillor John Delaney, Brian Melzack, Neil Murray, Ron Bannister, Kevin Angell, John Fowler, Chad Coombes, Jools Dromgoole, Robin West, Kieron Darvell, Bernd Hintz, Robin Neary, Adrian Jones, Dave Cowdrey, Tom Rizzo, Austen Harris, Jamie Butler, Stuart Williamson, John Braggins, Emil Harkness, Mario Nevrides, Richards Gray, Ron Hill, Kedric Rhodes, Richard Lloyd, Andrew Kouroushi, Guy Lovelady, Richard Elvin, Andy Witchell, Jim Callnon, Justin Walsh, Paul Tillotson, Phil Rosendale, Ed Jennings, QPRLSA, QPR1st, David Davies and all at Loftus Road PLC.


Help Matt Winton raise cash as he cycles across the mountains of Iceland
Posted on: Wed 17 Nov 2004
Rangers fan Matthew Winton is about to face one of the toughest challenges of his life as he prepares to take part in a charity cycle ride across the mountains and volcanoes of Iceland.

He, along with nine other cyclicts, are hoping to raise £30,000 to support a diabetes research project at the Royal Free Hospital in London. Matt and his brother Alex, who is a diabetic, were instrumental in bringing both Doudou and Daniel Shittu to Loftus Road last season and now they need your help.

Here, Matt takes up the story about the cycle ride and why he is doing it;

On the 1st July 2002, I will be participating as part of a small group of 10 in a charity cycle ride across the inhospitable mountains and volcanoes of Iceland.

The ten of us have pledged to raise £30,000 to support a vital Diabetes research project at the Royal Free Hospital in London. The charity in question is called "Sugar Free".

One of the original participants has had to pull out at the eleventh hour and I have been called off the substitute's bench to participate. The problem is that this has only given me two and a half weeks to raise sponsorship and get myself mentally and physically ready for the challenge ahead. I am relying on all of your generous support to motivate me in achieving a distance of 500KM by cycle and a further 50KM by foot in 5 days.

As most of you are probably aware, my brother Alex fell into a diabetic coma when he was 8 years old. Fortunately he was diagnosed in time at the Royal Free Hospital, however at the time the condition was life threatening. Since then Alex has had to inject himself up to 4 times a day, regularly monitoring his blood sugar levels.

Over the last five years Alex's general health has deteriorated and he has been faced with numerous eye operations that has left him with very restricted vision (probably a favour to any QPR supporter), as well as having to take medication to facilitate a protein leak from his kidneys.

Diabetics suffer many potentially life threatening complications and debilitating illnesses that include blindness, kidney failure, amputation, heart attacks and strokes.

There are 1.4 million diagnosed diabetics in the U.K. and a further 1 million diabetics that are undiagnosed.

The funds raised by "Sugar Free" will help to continue the support of the Royal Free Hospitals pioneering project which could result in the biggest breakthrough in the treatment of diabetes since the discovery of insulin in the 1920's.

I do hope that you all can dig deep to support this incredibly worthwhile cause.

Thanks for your support, Matthew Winton

If you can help, you can contact Matt by e-mail at matthew.winton@btconnect.com

Well matt, wish your father all the best from new Zealand. That Shittu deal was a generous and dicey move for a starter. It worked out well in the end for everyone. With your father off the board, do you get to sit in his place?

On the video clips I get off "Player" I can't believe how empty LR is these days?? Sign of the times I guess.

Yes, very sad. A good fan and generous to the club. I wish MW73 would post on here. Be really interesting to here the Winton point of view.

Flashback 7 years