Littleborough honour record-breaking Olympian Sybil Fenton Newall

Olympian archer Sybil Fenton Newall 'Queenie'

The Friends of the Hare Hill House are preparing to honour Littleborough’s record-breaking Olympian Sybil Fenton Newall at about 1.30pm on Saturday (13 August) by unveiling a plaque on the Hare Hill House in Littleborough.

Better known as Queenie, the archer became the oldest ever female to win an Olympic medal in any event at London’s 1908 games aged 53 years and 275 days – a record that still stands today from when she collected a gold medal in the women’s archery.

Queenie was also the last British female to win an Olympic medal in Archery for 96 years until Alison Williamson took bronze at the Athens games in 2004.

Peter Hill, Chairman of the Friends of the Hare Hill House, explained why Queenie was being honoured: “We’re hoping to raise the profile of the house and Queenie’s achievements. It’s wonderful to have someone like her born in the house and to such an influential family as well.

“Her family raised an army for the crusade and came to Littleborough in the early 1400s to build what is now the town house. Then in the early 1700s they converted the Hare Hill house.

“We wanted to honour Queenie, we’ve sort of got the jigsaw of her life coming together now. It seemed logical to wait so it could coincide with the middle Saturday of the Olympics.”

Queenie’s plaque is set to be unveiled by some high-profile guests on a day which will also include a number of family activities from 12.30pm until 5pm, as Peter clarified: “One of Rochdale’s previous Olympians will be coming and Archery GB might be as well.

“The Rochdale company of archers will be doing a big archery demonstration. We have invited a few local businesses down and the Mayor will be joining us, too.

“We’re doing a ‘Silly Olympics’, which will just be lots of games mainly for the children. It will be like school sports day-type games, such as the 50 metre dashes and skittles, and all the children who compete will receive a medal. We’re hoping there will be enough people to have a tug of war.”