Holmes, Trevor – The man who gave Grantham a big lift

Trevor Holmes (1938-2009)

Trevor Holmes was born in Alford Street, Grantham, the youngest son of Arthur and Edith Holmes.

He attended the National School and the King’s School in Grantham.

After school he went to work at the Grantham Journal as a trainee reporter and when a position came up as an apprentice stereotyper in the print room, being of small build, he was told in order to secure the job he would need to build up his strength in order to lift the casting plates.

This led him to the world of powerlifting and the Grantham Physical Culture Club, which he joined in 1955 and had an active involvement in for the next 53 years.

He became familiar face in the world of powerlifting and became a local sporting hero when he attained three British records with the ‘pull-over and press on back’ lift, which have stood for 43 years. He set a new British middle-weight record, a new British mid-heavy weight record and a new British light-heavy weight record, and won the Lincolnshire County title, the Divisional title and the All-Midland title.

From 1959 to 1961 he was on National Service where he served as a medical officer at the RAC Gunnery School in Dorset.

After leaving the army his Journal position was no longer available so he decided to study and learn a new trade.

He took exams in the National School of Salesmanship and secured positions in salesmanship for the next 40 years in horticulture.

He married Elizabeth in April 1960 and were married for  49 years.

In 1986, along with two partners, he bought the horticultural company Vitax, and traded for several years before selling on to another company, where he remained as sales director until his retirement in 1998 at the age of 60.

Then, together with his wife Elizabeth, he ran their own company Holmes and Garden Products, for seven years, and they were often seen at country shows and locally at Denton street market.

Trevor worked tirelessly behind the scenes of Grantham Physical Culture Club as treasurer/secretary at the same time practicing his ‘hobby’.

In 1990, he secured a plot on Earlesfield Lane for the club to build new premises and three years later, having raised £57,000 the club took up residence in their new training headquarters.

It was with deep sadness that in December 2008, he made the decision to hand over the reigns of the running of the club, but it was a great honour when he was told the month before his death that the club was to be re-named The Trevor Holmes Physical Culture Club in his memory – a fitting tribute to a man of dedication and fortitude.

A member of Grantham Lions, he spent many hours fund-raising, on one occasion raising £1,000 by lifting a 56lb block weight 42 times above his head in 43 seconds at the Isaac Newton Centre. The money sponsored enabled a local athlete to attend the Special Olympics.

Mr Holmes was a member of the Grantham branch of Arthritis Research for 20 years and was familiarly known as the ‘coffee man’ who worked behind the scenes at fund-raising events held by his wife, who is chairman of the local branch. His coffee morning also extended to the monthly police pensioners coffee mornings.

In his retirement he became a member of Grantham Probus Bowls and Harlaxton Bowls Club.