Conkering the world - one nut at a time

In 2017, me and a few mates gathered in my local Peckham pub to play conkers, the peculiarly British  school yard  game.  A few weekends ago, this happened . . .

Peckham Conker Competition Finals 2022

Welcome to the Peckham Conker Championships - a competition with no rules, and with the sole aim of smashing your opponents nut & pride.

Conker Chaos

It's been fun to help grow the event over the years - from nothing, into a full-scale hipster riot (a raucous but well-mannered riot) involving 100's battling each other under the arches of Peckham Rye train station with nothing more than a string & a nut.  Basic.  Almost Medieval.  But a tonne of fun. 

Why the f*&k

There's loads of reasons why I started the Peckham Conker Club & Championships:

  • Because I love organising a random event - I have history with #KittenCamp, my meme-themed event of the 2010's

  • Because I love making something out of nothing - conkers are everywhere (in Autumn) but massively under utilised.  Unlike their cousin the Sweet Chestnut, you can't eat them (they're poisonous) and most end up rotting.

  • Because I have a knack of seeing potential in the most random of places - conkers is a game everyone's played (when a kid) and are aware of, but that few play beyond the age of 12.

  • Because I get a buzz out of helping people have fun & make some $$$ at the same time.  Win Win.

What next

The where I'd like to take it next is an open question.  One of the fairly useful things about a conker-based venture is that there's no rushing it.  It's 100% seasonal, and so I've got 12 months to  stew on it. Conker Merch proved pretty popular this year - with us shifting a tonne of our Battle Packs around the world, to help people play conkers in style. Very randomly, even an ex Prime Minister bought a pack ;-)

I guess the point of this post is to fish for ideas (and inspire) - so if you've got any world conkering ideas, then drop me & the club a note team@peckhamconker.club

Thank you & happy conkering ;-)