LYMM Rugby Club will celebrate its 50th year during 2010 and has plenty to celebrate.

Success has been achieved on and off the field and continued growth looks certain.

An event has been arranged to highlight aims of the future.

And many activities are planned to celebrate the jubilee year, including club tours, a sportsman’s dinner, a summer ball and the launch of the Lymm Past Player Association which is led by club president Tony Wright.

He said: “I am very proud to be club president in our jubilee year and of the achievements we have all made in several sports in these 50 years.

“As well as celebrating this and looking forward with anticipation to our future I would like to share our vision and success with all of our friends from the present and the past.

“I am therefore inviting any players who have ever played for Lymm in whatever capacity and in whatever sport to contact me through the club and receive their invitation to the inaugural meeting, a buffet lunch and conviviality at Beechwood on February 13, 2010.”

Starting with just a handful of men and lots of dreams in 1960, the club has now developed to encompass 700 families.

Activities ranging from squash, hockey, adult and children’s rugby union, open-age and junior rugby league, as well as women’s netball are all based from the club’s home in Crouchley Lane.

Beechwood also provides the social venue for Manor Road Tennis Club and Lymm Folk Club.

The range of sports allows the club to operate all year round as a totally amateur community-based organisation, with both winter and summer activities for all ages and abilities.

Lymm sections have not only attracted members to their various sports, with each sport having multiple teams, but have been very successful in competition, particularly during the last couple of years.

The men’s and women’s hockey first teams have achieved league promotion in each of the last few seasons and are currently top of their respective divisions.

Lymm rugby league team play in the summer months and won the North West Premier League in 2009.

They went on to the semi finals of the national competition.

Lymm rugby union first XV are top of North One West and six points clear of the chasing pack, while the under 17s junior colts are English champions for 2009.

Five of the junior teams reached their respective cup finals and in two cases received referees’ commendations for their exemplary manner of play and behaviour.

Lymm now has more than 300 boys from aged five to 18 playing rugby.

Fledgling junior sections for hockey and rugby league have been started and are growing.

In addition to club activities, coaches from Lymm for squash, hockey and rugby regularly visit schools to introduce sporting activities to youngsters.

A particularly pleasing advancement for the set-up during 2009 was the purchase and development of an additional 10 acres of land adjacent to the present site, allowing the construction of two more rugby pitches as well as junior pitches and training areas.

The club has raised almost £1m for this development - some from grants but the majority from the hard work and outstanding generosity of members.

Further funds are required to complete this work as well as new work to improve disabled access among other projects earmarked for 2010.

The new pitches will be ready for the 2010/2011 winter season and will allow for further growth.

Notwithstanding the facilities available, the success of any club is down to its members and principally its volunteers.

Lymm is fortunate in the numbers of members involved in all of the diverse activities needed to run a sports club whether that be from sports coaching, maintaining facilities, fund raising or even writing and participating in the Lymm pantomime which played to 1,600 people this December.

A further highlight in December was hosting the rugby match between Northern England Academies under 19s against the Australian School under 18s, with a crowd of more than 600 watching England secure victory.