A frosty January morning saw hundreds of players and supporters from the local amateur and semi-professional football scene descend on Bradley Stoke Community School (BSCS) for a series of games being held to raise funds for the family of Darren Butt, widely known as ‘Butty’.

The event, on Sunday 19th January, was staged just two weeks after Darren, 40, had tragically lost his life in a multiple-vehicle collision on the M32 motorway.

A hugely popular figure in local football circles, Darren was well known for his sense of humour, outlandish dress sense and wacky hairstyles.

Over a period spanning more than 20 years, he played for many local clubs, including Patchway Town FC, Hallen AFC, Patchway North End FC and, most recently, Stokeside FC, where he was club captain. He also held the position of reserve team manager at Hallen AFC.

As a schoolboy, he played for Swindon Town FC and is said to have come close to making the England squad.

Off the field, he was well known as a café manager, and was for a while involved with the former Café Lounge in Pear Tree Road, Bradley Stoke (now Vee’s Kitchen). More recently, he ran Redcliffe’s café in Bristol.

More: Organisers report that more than £13,000 was raised on the day »

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Karen Gaman of Sole Sisters ladies-only north Bristol running club writes:

The Sole Sisters Beginners’ Course is ideal for any ladies who want to start running, but don’t know how to begin. Three times each year, we offer a training course for women who wish to start running, have never run before or are returning after a long period of rest, illness or injury.

Our next course starts on Monday 6th January 2020. The venue for the first meeting is Baileys Court Activity Centre, Bradley Stoke BS32 8BH. Please arrive by 6.45pm to register and meet the coaches and other beginners.

We follow a realistic six-week training programme, with a gradual build-up of mileage, after which you will be able to join one of our main groups and hopefully enjoy it with a certain amount of self-satisfaction.

Many of our current members started out on this course and are now running regular 10ks, half marathons and even full marathons, so what we offer is a trusted method.

The course costs £15. For full details and an application form, visit solesistersrc.co.uk/beginners-course

See also: Sole Sisters North Bristol Running Club on Facebook

• This year’s Bradley Stoke 10k Run, organised by Sole Sisters, will take place on Sunday 7th June.

Photo: Members of Sole Sisters Running Club at a parkrun.

This article originally appeared in the January 2020 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 30). The magazine is delivered FREE, nine times a year, to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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By Matteo Bianchi, team manager and head coach.

Bradley Stoke Youth FC’s (BSYFC’s) Under-10 Blues team has just started the new season with training sessions and competitive matches as part of the Hanham Minor League Division B group.

In August 2019, the team was lucky enough to be one of eight teams selected to participate in the pre-match on-pitch parade at the FA Community Shield, representing McDonald’s grassroots football sponsorship.

An excited party of boys, parents and siblings met at Baileys Court early in the morning, departing for Wembley Stadium promptly at 7.45am. After an uninterrupted journey, we finally saw the twin towers come into view and arrived in good time, allowing the opportunity for a team photo-shoot in front of the famous statue of the 1966 World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore.

The 17 lucky boys wearing team kit who had been selected to join the parade then met with FA staff, picked up their VIP wristbands and entered the stadium. Once inside, the boys received an official briefing, had photos taken pitch-side and practised walking in formation ready for the parade.

The accompanying parents had time for coffee and window shopping prior to the turnstiles opening at 1pm, whereupon we took our seats ready to see the action. Following the players’ warm-up session, two community choirs from Liverpool and Manchester City sang rousing versions of You’ll Never Walk Alone and Blue Moon respectively, and as these songs rang out the boys paraded into the stadium waving their flags, our boys and coaches leading the parade out at the Manchester City end of the pitch.

Pre-match ceremonies complete, the boys paraded off and then made the journey up into the upper tier of the stadium to join their families and enjoy the game.

An excellent and tightly fought match followed which finished 1-1 at full time. The game went straight to a penalty shoot-out which was a tense affair at the Liverpool end of the pitch, Manchester City winning 5-4 after Liverpool’s third penalty was saved. Liverpool fans streamed out of the stadium leaving the Manchester City fans to enjoy the trophy ceremony.

More: Interested in joining the team or wanting more information? »

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Members of Bradley Stoke Gymnastics Club put in some fine performances at the 2019 South West Acro Championships held at Yate International Gymnastics Centre on Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th October.

A team of 15 Bradley Stoke gymnasts (making up seven partnerships), three of them competing for the first time, made the short trip to Yate, where they joined around 300 other competitors from across the south west.

The competition format requires each partnership to perform a two-minute routine consisting of five team moves and three individual moves. Routines are judged for tidiness, sparkle, performance and artistry.

Out of the seven partnerships, four of them came away with medals. Amelia Budding and Lara Davidson came away with gold – after working together for just four weeks. Feebee Hartanto and Lara Davidson got silver in their category – in Feebee’s first-ever competition. Alissa Fulco and Tahlia Jennings-Smith got silver, also their first competition, while Sophie Dean and Leoni Miller also secured silver.

Rachael Moore, club coach, said:

“All of the gymnasts performed excellent routines, making us very, very proud. To have so many of our ‘new ones’ compete for the first time and shine like stars put smiles on our faces. We couldn’t be prouder of all the girls, and that’s what makes us a real ‘gym family’”.

“We are also proud that some of our gymnasts have now retired from competing but continue to support the club by coaching and passing on their knowledge to the younger members. The coaching team could not be more grateful to have so many special people in the club.”

More: Club runs classes for children from age four upwards »

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