I WAS delighted to be invited last Wednesday to the University of Hull to witness Willie Peters receiving a Doctorate of Letters from the University Chancellor, the former Hull MP Alan Johnson.
It was a very special ceremony that took place in the University’s Middleton Hall and there were speeches from various university dignitaries in support of the award and also explaining why the University had taken the unusual step of holding a conferment ceremony for just one individual when the normal procedure is to have the ceremony in January for all their doctorate awards.
Willie will be training his team in Tenerife in preparation for the World Club Challenge at that time, so the university re-scheduled the award in what is quite an unusual step.
It was a terrific afternoon and the conferment ceremony was followed by the screening of one episode of the documentary series ‘Renaissance’, which followed the fortunes for Hull KR from the previous year’s Grand Final to their 2025 Old Trafford triumph.
The episode shown was the fourth out of seven, which focused on the club’s Challenge Cup triumph against Warrington.
When we see films about Rugby League clubs they often focus on what happens in the dressing room.
But what’s really interesting is the impact of a club on its supporters, and the film was very much geared towards the fans and how they reacted, both to the journey to Wembley, to the tension in the game itself and to the final victory.
The players were able to speak to the camera to explain what it meant to them.
It was very well done and difficult to watch without having a lump in your throat.
I also learned quite a lot about Hull KR supporters, which I’ll come back to at some point in the New Year.
The whole thing was one of those events that was uplifting to witness.