Jim Bennison MBE, Stockport basketball stalwart, passes away

Image Credit: Basketball England

Jim Bennison MBE, founder of Stockport Basketball Club and a mammoth figure for the sport in the North West, has passed away aged 92 over the Easter weekend.

Bennison was an art teacher who discovered his passion for basketball while working at Brinnington Secondary School in Stockport more than 60 years ago.

In 1963, he founded the Brinnington Lapwings basketball club, which later became Stockport Louvolites, then Stockport Lapwings, and finally, the present-day Stockport Basketball Club. Under his leadership, the Louvolites women’s team won multiple Division One League titles and cup finals, while the Lapwings more recently secured the WNBL National Cup crown in 2021/22 as a Division 2 team.

Bennison was recognised for his contributions to basketball with an MBE from the Queen in 2013. Over the years, his club grew into an outlet for thousands of players across a range of national and local league competitions, with both junior and senior teams.

The outpouring of tributes from the basketball community speaks to the profound impact Bennison had on the sport.

Mark Stanley, the founder and president of Stockport Basketball Club, has praised Bennison for his profound impact on and off the court.

“As the founder and President of our club, Jim has had a profound impact both on and off the court over the last 60 years. His words of wisdom and advice have influenced many players, coaches and individuals, his passion for the game was infectious yet he was such a gentle and kind man. His achievements are too many to mention and he will be fondly remembered by many in the basketball community. His legacy will live on through the club he leaves behind,” Stanley said.

Nick Ibberson, a long-standing North West basketball coach and regional representative, remembered Bennison as a kind and generous person who made a lifelong commitment to the Lapwings.

“I am devastated to hear of Jim’s passing, such a great loss to basketball in general, women’s basketball in particular but most of all to the Lapwings, who he founded and who were a life long commitment. I had known him for 50 years and a kinder more generous person you could not wish to meet, except when coaching against him. RIP Jim,” Ibberson said.

Brian Aldred, Basketball England’s Delivery Manager for Coaching, also paid tribute to Bennison, acknowledging his enormous contribution to basketball in Stockport and the North West.

“I’m saddened to hear of Jim’s passing, he was one of the true guardians of basketball, especially for the women’s game. Everyone in the game knew Jim, he has had a huge impact on basketball in Stockport and the North West over the last 60 years,” Aldred said.

Bennison’s legacy will undoubtedly live on through the club he founded and the countless players, coaches, and individuals whose lives he touched.

R.I.P.

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