At opening of Bramston Sports Centre, Bridge Street. Left to right, Ted Smith (chair of Witham Urban District Council, hidden by photographer), Bill Marsh (Witham Urban District councillor), Henry Cooper (champion boxer, who performed the opening ceremony), Bill Dixon Smith (Essex County Council), Keith Ivory (centre manager). The plaque reads ‘BRAMSTON SPORTS CENTRE / This Plaque Commemorated the / Official Opening of this Centre / on Saturday 23rd March 1974 / By / HENRY COOPER Esq. / O.B.E. Sportsman’. Pauline Edmunds worked at the Centre then, and later became its manager; in 1999 she recalled that ‘Henry Cooper was a delightful V.I.P only charging us one case of red and one case of red wine ! He spent quite a few hours with us that day and of course our bar here at the Centre is called ‘Coopers’ bar in his honour. See also photo M405.

Ref	M1230
Photographer	Gordon Ager
Date taken	23 March 1974
Source	Gyford, John