Canary Favourites thanked for Nest Support

Current Norwich City first team member Angus Gunn, and ex-Canaries Russell Martin, Wes Hoolahan, and John Ruddy have had changing rooms at The Nest dedicated to them to mark their support for the Build the Nest campaign.

The four changing rooms are in the new hub building adjacent to the floodlit 3G pitch, both of which were completed last year as part of a second phase of construction at the site in Horsford.

Ruddy and Gunn each made donations, while Martin and Hoolahan selected the Build the Nest campaign as one of the causes to benefit from their Team Wes v Team Russ celebratory match at Carrow Road in 2019.

The changing rooms have been adorned with a plaque and stylish graphics of each player in action.

John Ruddy visited The Nest to see the changing room and the developments at The Nest:

“For the community and surrounding areas, it’s an amazing place to come, to enjoy playing football but also doing loads of other things and engaging in other social activities as well. It’s amazing, it really is.”

Wes Hoolahan emphasized Norwich City and the Foundation’s role in the local community:

“The club is all about people, all about community, and to be able to be a part of making it (the Nest) happen through the game with Russ is very special. Big credit has to go to the people who supported the game.”

Russell Martin, who was a big supporter of the Foundation’s work during his time with the Canaries, gave his thoughts on the facility that has been created:

“I came up at the end of last season to look at The Nest and was blown away by the finished product; when we knew the game was going ahead it was an easy decision to choose the Foundation to benefit through the Build the Nest campaign. I wasn’t expecting to have this changing room dedication so that’s really nice for us all.”

Angus Gunn and his family have always had a close relationship with the Foundation and he spoke of the impact he hopes The Nest can have:

“Seeing the Nest in person really helps it to hit home just how much work has been put in by the team. I hope to come here more often to see all the different people using the facilities. The Foundation is where my journey started, and I wanted to give back to that so that other people can benefit from its activities.”

Ian Thornton, Chief Executive Officer of Norwich City Community Sports Foundation, thanked all four for their support:

“We are very grateful for the support of John, Russ, Wes, and Angus. Players sometimes don’t get recognised for the local support they give in the community. For us, it was a great way to recognise their contribution both on and off the pitch.”

There have been over 130,000 uses of The Nest’s facilities since opening, including the Foundation’s charitable work, grassroots football teams, and other organisations.