Conker contest organiser named Anorak of the Year

One of the organisers of the World Conker Championships has been named Anorak of the Year 2025.

StJohn Burkett, who helps stage the Northamptonshire event, was recognised by the Dull Men's Club, an organisation which "celebrates the ordinary".

The award acknowledges people with niche and mundane hobbies. Past winners have included a man who photographs potholes and a calendar-maker who featured roundabouts.

"What an honour. I always say lots of people get MBEs but only one person gets to be Anorak of the Year," said Burkett, a former primary school head teacher.

Burkett travelled to Tottenham Court Road in London on Sunday to collect the prestigious certificate, presented by the club's chair in front of what he described as "a few people".

The recognition followed the conker championships' inclusion in the Dull Men's Club calendar.

Burkett told BBC Radio Northampton: "They were looking for quirky events and after the competition in 2025, they said I was nominated. The next thing I knew, I won it!"

He said he was still deciding where to display the award.

"It's got to be framed. Perhaps it will go in the downstairs toilet," he added.

The World Conker Championships has been running since 1965.

It was held at Ashton, near Oundle, for 45 years. It then moved to a bigger site at the Shuckburgh Arms in Southwick.

In 2024, the championships made national newspaper headlines amid allegations of cheating.

A competitor nicknamed King Conker was accused of using a steel nut. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing.

Organisers said the event had helped raise about £420,000 for charities that support the visually impaired.

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