The Maidstone District 120 Club was formed in 1998, as part of the District’s effort of raising £1000 for the Kent County Association Bell Restoration Fund (BRF) before the year 2000.
However, it was some four years earlier that the idea of a county-wide “100 Club” based on the format used by many other charitable organisations, was raised by the Maidstone District at a County Committee meeting. At that meeting the County Committee expressed doubts that it would be able to get sufficient support, and that people would not want to pay out the suggested annual fee of £10 per share. Mal Williams brought the idea again to the Maidstone District Committee as one of many ideas of raising funds, and it was he that set about presenting this way of raising funds for the BRF, finally establishing the District’s own “120 Club” . (The number “120” was chosen since it had a particular significance to ringers, being the extent on five bells).
Mal Williams became the Club’s first promoter and with his son Darren’s help he set up a database (don’t worry, there’s a backup paper system too!) and the first draw was held in March 1999. By 2008 the Club had become so popular that the number of shares had to be increased to 130, thus enabling an additional prize to be awarded each month.
The Club is licensed by the Maidstone Borough Council under the relevant existing legislation; click to see the Club’s Rules. Winning numbers are posted on this site and are also listed in The Belfry, the District’s quarterly journal.