BURTON Albion’s long-serving tea lady Enid Barks has received a special award from the Football Association.
The FA Long Service Award is only given to people who have given more than 50 years of service.
Enid received her award ahead of the Brewers’ FA Cup tie against Northampton Town, with Chairman Ben Robinson, Nigel Clough and two former managers, Neil Warnock and Ian Storey-Moore, on hand to congratulate her.
Enid has been a Burton Albion supporter for 66 years and a volunteer for a good proportion of that time.
She was first drawn to the club as a fan in 1953 when we played at Wellington Street in the Birmingham League. In 1960 - after the club built a ground of its own at Eton Park – she started volunteering despite being pregnant with her first child. She used to stand behind the goal near the Tote Office and another long-standing BAFC volunteer Vera Goode asked if she would help check the tickets.
When the Tote closed down, she moved over to running one of the tea bars with Vera and Mrs Bateman – a job she did dutifully at every home game for seven years.
She was then asked if she would help do teas in the boardroom starting in the 1975/76 season – and she has still not stopped after 44 years.
In 2015 Enid was named in the Football League’s 72 Club Heroes and in 2017 she was presented with a Service and Support Award at the Burton Albion Players' Awards night.
Ben Robinson said: “A big thank you to Enid for all her hard work and congratulations on receiving this FA award.”