When he was asked to attend a specific briefing only for SMMC Marshals present at Knockhill’s SLS meeting last weekend, little did our Club’s Communications Co-ordinator Jon Bolton realise that the briefing was actually a set-up to allow him to be presented with the 2020 Jim Clark Marshalling Award – an engraved Quaich.

I was delighted to present the award to Jon.

At one of our last face to face Committee Meetings at the beginning of the year Jon was down south of the border working away on business. At that meeting, and in his absence, the Committee unanimously agreed that Jon was the stand-out candidate for the JCMA and plans were put in place for the award to be made at the 2020 AGM.

This decision was reached based on all the work Jon has done in building and setting up our Club website www.smmc.org.uk including running it on a day to day basis, pushing forward with improving all areas of Club communications which we believe have since benefited the majority of our membership, developing a programme of STEM in motorsport initiatives within schools further promoting SMMC and motorsport amongst younger people, being the pathfinder for the Club’s new Motorsport Medical Group project, as well as guiding us through the SCIO initiative, of which he had some previous experience – amongst other roles he plays in developing Rescue Marshal’s training for SMMC, in sitting on Motorsport UK’s Rescue and Recovery Advisory Group and as a valued member of our own Rescue Team - and a Club Committee member. A worthy winner indeed.

Despite lockdown the hope remained for some time that the AGM would still take place with Club members in attendance but when we had to make the decision initially to delay it and then eventually to turn it in to a virtual meeting in November, this opportunity disappeared. Luckily Jon was "encouraged" to join the team required to crew the Rescue Units at the October Knockhill SLS meeting where we knew some other SMMC Marshals, Rescue Crew and Officials would be around working at the event, to attend the presentation.

Jon appeared completely taken aback with the surprise which unfolded in front of ten or so colleagues and, as he himself said, he was speechless - which is rare for him. Sadly we were unable to allow him to wallow in it all for too long as the tight programme for the race meeting meant that we all had to quickly get on with ensuring this busy event ran safely and fairly - and before darkness arrived.

The JCMA is made to a member of the Club who, in the sole opinion of the Trustees, had made a significant or meritorious contribution to motor sport marshalling in Scotland. First awarded in 1994, Jon is the 17th Club member to receive the award. Read more about the Jim Clark Marshalling Award here.