Howie the Hornet

OUR MISSION

Howie the Hornet made his first public appearance on 19th November 2005 when Banstead Athletic were the opponents for the Club's annual Queen Street Kids 4 Free Day.

A crowd of 716 saw terrace favourite Gary Charman score both goals in a 2-0 win for the home side but it was Howie who would grab all the attention, quickly winning himself a new fan club among children and adults alike.

The idea of a club mascot at Isthmian League level was, at the time, a fairly unique one with only AFC Wimbledon's Haydon the Womble providing much competition for Howie in the 'cute stakes'. So it was with some degree of trepidation that the idea of Howie was agreed to at a meeting of H.I.S.C committee members earlier in the year.

Few could have known the impact our furry friend would have on the club, bring welcomed publicity and recognition through his attendance at fêtes and carnivals, as well as becoming a matchday regular at Queen Street and a number of our more hospitable away grounds. Howie's fame quickly spread and his was the first image to appear in a national press campaign by Bovril in 2006.

As a proliferation of mascots developed, so the opportunity to go in search of the limelight increased and an Egg and Spoon race at Fontwell Park racecourse was followed by participation in the Mascot Grand National at Huntingdon. Along with his friend and helper, Matt Haynes, Howie was also invited to take part in the unofficial Mascot Olympics as part of Milton Keynes' 40th Anniversary commemorations, a day that proved a great success for our yellow and green competitor who scooped the silver medal !

Howie will be appearing at Lingfield Racecourse on Saturday 28th June where the Mascot Derby will be held in memory of the helper of the Southend United mascot who died last year. This is a straight sprint race that Howie will be keen to erase the memory of last year's disaster when he managed to lose by tripping over his feet in the last couple of yards. The race will be held in the early evening and will be followed by a night of horse racing. There will also be live entertainment courtesy of the Cavern Beatles. Howie and Matt would love to have your support so anyone wishing to attend can find ticket details on the Lingfield Racecourse website (www.lingfield-racecourse.co.uk)

Howie can then put his wings up until October when the 11th Grand National takes place in Huntingdon although there is also the small matter of the return of the Mascot Olympics in Milton Keynes on Saturday 12th July. However, "complex negotiations" are taking place that might deny Howie the chance of going one better and taking gold this time round !

                                   2008 Mascot Olympics

After delicate negotiations, Howie has confirmed that he will be taking part in this year's Mascot Olympic Games, to be held in Milton Keynes, in what promises to be even more competitive and entertaining than last year's event

Mascots, predominantly from well known Football teams around the country, are set to land on the Theatre District, Milton Keynes on Saturday 12 July ready for a whole range of challenging events. At the end of the day only one mascot will be crowned Olympic Champion 2008 and for that these larger than life, well loved, characters are travelling from far and wide. Last year’s eventual champion, after a well fought battle, was Gully Mouse, from a local theme park, so now the stakes have been raised and this year mascots have been working even harder on their fitness levels in order to win this coveted title.

Events include the Ramada Encore Welly Wanging, the MK Dons Penalty Shoot Out, the Opus Toboggan Plunge (on real snow!) and the Midsummer Place Obstacle Course. In fact there will be six diverse and interesting challenges in total throughout the day testing strength, stamina, sense of humour and courage!

The event is also an opportunity to raise funds for a local adoption agency – St Francis Childrens' Society – who have so far found loving homes and supported over 2,000 children. The mascots will be doing their bit to raise funds and, in exchange for entertaining the crowds, will be encouraging donations to this very worthwhile Milton Keynes based charity.

For further information on the Theatre District and events taking place visit the website – www.theatre-district.co.uk

Howie was in confident mood ahead of the big event. "Last year I finished 2nd overall having won the Obstacle Course event and finished 2nd in the Weight carrying event. I would like to go one better this year so have been practising my tobogganing down the mud of Denne Hill and have been throwing wellies all over Horsham in a bid to prepare myself for the day. I look forward to my open top bus ride round Horsham when I come home with the gold this year."

Update: 9/10/08
Howie says:"It was an interesting day to say the least. My friend Matt drove for 2 hours in horrible weather, I got drenched for an hour, then he drove us back in the rain again for another 2 hours !

I didn't do quite as well as last year but I think I finished 7th out of 67 mascots which I don't think was too bad. That's 11th, 3rd and 7th in the last 3 years. It's always going to be tricky to win as there will always be some mascots who have help from people who can actually run fast!

I won't mention the fact that I ran round 2 of the jumps but, hey, it's not my fault there were too many mascots and the jumps weren't wide enough! I have found a clip that someone has posted on youtube which isn't great quality but you can just about make me out crossing the finishing line. I'm sure there will be better pics/videos to come. I was even asked to do an interview with Radio Mercury !

I did get to meet the Hempstead family who came up to support me but unfortunately someone from the racecourse decided to start the race 20 mins early without anyone knowing and they missed it.

Anyway, now I've just got to try and get dried out before Saturday's big FA Cup tie ! See you there !!"

EVENTS

GALLERY

PLAYER OF THE MONTH