Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

I can’t deny that I am an avid groundhopper and a keen shirt collector but those who know me well would acknowledge I have other hobbies and interests. In fact a nurse called them “passions.” I am a life-long language learner, a massive fan of chess and a world traveller. Yes, I love learning the history of villages and cities the world over. 

I am up to about 50 countries and am looking forward to some serious groundhopping this autumn through Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany. Next summer is Romania and Georgia for the UEFA U-21 Finals. For the moment I am in London and following my beloved FC Deportivo Galicia and Gillingham. I am also exploring the nooks and crannies of London. Despite love affairs with Spain, Italy, Romania and Scandinavia, I still think it is the greatest city on earth. I love its diversity, its history, its sport (obviously!) its transport infrastructure and, well, pretty much everything about the city. I also think, arrogantly, I know a fair bit about it ….. or I did until yesterday! Let me explain …. 

I saw an advertisement for Guided London Walking Tours I followed a link to a very professional website where there was a fantastic range of tours to select from. What interested me was that this was not the usual “Free tour of Westminster” or “Free Tour of Theatreland.” I’d done several of those and felt rather unimpressed after I had paid my tip to somebody who had clearly been in London only a few months or years and was regurgitating a script. Those trips are fine for an overview – I have done them in several European cities and they were excellent starting points but I fear the Canadian guide of Amsterdam might struggle if she moved 100 yards off the route or a few words off the script. 

What caught my eye with London Guided Walks was the  specialist nature of the tours. These are not “fluff and stuff.” The “Heretics and Horrors City Walk” looked particularly interesting, I booked (easily and quickly) on their website and yesterday found myself at St Paul’s Cathedral. To be more accurate I found myself on “the concrete steps outside the CoOp on Cheapside, adjacent to St. Paul’s tube station.” The welcome email gave excellent directions, a contact number and an overall image of professionalism. Impressed.  

I was delighted that it was a small group of just eight people – two couples and four single participants. The guide Susan introduced herself, advised on safety requirements and we set off promptly (another tick!) She advised us what we would see and it was clear from the first few sentences that this was not for a first-timer. Excellent.    

The next ninety minutes went very fast. Susan was hugely impressive, clearly had an in depth knowledge of the area and shared this very competently. She was always in control of the group and did not allow herself to be interrupted by unnecessary or trivial questions and comments. When I go on one of these tours, I attend to learn from the guide. I am not interested in the thoughts of some random tourist from New Jersey who thinks we want to hear what he “knows” about Lady Di or Green Park!  I certainly walked away far more knowledgeable about that area of the Square Mile. What was most impressive was that at almost every building, Susan had a story and an explanation. I am guessing we only walked a mile at most and never more than a hundred yards at a time. Being just a few weeks off crutches, I was grateful for that. 

I should perhaps confirm that this was a paid tour. I wasted a couple of hours in Bucharest recently on a “free” tour. Sadly, there were over 50 participants including about 20 Madrid school kids who clearly had zero interest in the history of “Romania – The Road to Democracy.” From the questions and comments of the visitors yesterday it was clear that they were all very knowledgeable about London and, like me, were keen to learn even more. I am sure each one was delighted. I was.

All in all, an excellent tour. What did I learn? Well, I will let you find out for yourselves but I can assure you that you will be interested in Paul’s Cross (NOT St. Paul’s Cross!), Newgate Prison, Temple Bar and the history of St Barts to name just a few. What’s next?  A couple of big games this weekend and I think I will register for the “Wonders of Whitehall Walk” or maybe the “Southwark” tour…. or maybe both! You are most welcome to come to join me ….. as long as you do not interrupt the guide!  If you have a specialist interest, London Guided Walks also do private tours. The Rise of Chelsea under Mou?

Nowadays it is very easy to follow clubs througout the world. The web is full of content about teams near and far. If you don’t speak Polish or Latvian, there is no problem. Google translation services can help. So, many of us have a soft spot for a team tat peraps we have never seen in real life …. but want to! Then we think how difficult it is to get tickets to Premier League games in the UK and that bumps our idea for a moment. Not deterred we start looking at flights but realise that we are not sure whether there is an airport convenient for Palermo, there is (actually there are at least two!) Then we wonder whether an advertised 3pm Saturday kick off in Spain will turn out to be Friday evening an hour before we land or even moved to Monday evening for TV purposes. OK, no problems, let’s look at the resale sites. “What, Schalke U23s v Bayern Munic U23s ONLY 349 euros!!!!!. No, not what I am looking for.” Then we stop and decide that it’s a great idea but …..

Help is at hand in the form of the Euro Ticket Club.

Euro Ticket Club cuts out the ugly fees so you can focus on the beautiful game. British football is the most cost-prohibitive in the world. Euro Ticket Club is all about High-quality football and Low-cost flights and match tickets for European games. Sign up for information on the best offers to travel to European football matches. We aggregate the cheapest flights and match tickets for teams across Europe, sold directly from football club websites, cutting out the middleman.

We were inspired to start Euro Ticket Club after a concatenation of difficulties attempting to watch live football. Firstly, as an Arsenal fan, it can be near impossible to get face-value tickets for a game at Emirates Stadium. I’ve watched Arsenal a handful of times but often at great expense, a cost that UK rail-travel exacerbates. Noticing how cheap flights can be from Edinburgh to other European cities, my brother and I began looking abroad for games. We first attended a match in Belgium but ran into difficulties when we turned up hoping to get tickets on the day only to find a sold-out Lotto Park.

Next, we secured a £26 return to Eindhoven, a city famed for its insistence that Phillips – the electronics company – really is the worthy subject of an entire museum. The match was a genuinely entertaining 4-0 drubbing, however had we known how limited the city was in other aspects, we may have chosen a different destination. The city’s official guide lists its airport and its proximity to numerous European capitals as 2 of the ten reasons to visit. That’s correct – 20% of the city’s highlights are, in fact, escape routes. By the time we booked Milan we had ironed out the kinks and saw a fantastic game of football at a great price and enjoyed the city, visiting the Piazza del Duomo and Leonardo da Vinci National Museum. These experiences encouraged us to create a service which combines top-quality football with a cultural European trip.

Aside from the fact we pair tickets with cheap flights, the biggest distinction between ourselves and our competitors is that our customers like us. While Ticketmaster and Viagogo are regarded as a last resort, often leaving customers embittered by the fees, we are the first port of call – letting customers know how and when to get the best possible deal. With Euro Ticket Club, users get a coup; not a con. Though football package providers save users time at the expense of money, acting as intermediaries between buyers and sellers, we save time and money by distributing information without taking a cut. We’ve offered return flights and match tickets for just £17 per person.

Check out our latest offers https://www.facebook.com/euroticketclub

In a world that sometimes seems so cynical, I am delighted to highlight the good works of Alan at The World’s Most Expensive Link. He has been a supporter of The Shirt Project since he first heard of it way back in 2009. I remember the first time I met Bjorn in the autumn of that year. We were in Germany and he was a few weeks into his multi marathon cycling trip from Oslo in his native Norway all the way to South Africa. Bjorn explained to me his intent and, as they say, the rest is history. I was “hooked” and offered to assist. Likewise when Alan heard of my mini-tour of the English clubs, he was happy to support. Since then, I have always been able to count on his support.

The nice thing is that it is a win-win. I am a very keen advocate of his business. We caught up again last week when Alan told me that the site is going well, the customers are happy and that he continues to raise money for charities. By total coincidence, we are both big supporters of Prostate Cancer UK and I am always delighted to see them being supported on the site. What is his project? Well, at its most basic, it is a way of promoting any business, charity, sporting association. Everybody wants visitors to their sites. That’s what The Link provides. How? Alan explains……

• Register your website from as little as £1. Yes, for less than a coffee, you can be promoting your link
  NO MONTHLY FEE! NO REGULAR PAYMENT! JUST OPTIONALLY TOP UP YOUR LINK WHEN YOU WANT!
• To add your link is a ONCE OFF payment and your link will stay on till at least December 31st 2024
• 30% (less VAT & PayPal Payment processing fees) of all income will be donated to charities selected by the participants.
  (Whenever a participant’s total is £10 or more we will make a payment directly to your chosen charity.)
• The site has been live and continuously promoting our participants’ websites since 2007.

One thing I have always liked is that you can start with as little as £1. In fact most of those who have followed my recommendation and registered did just this. Let’s be honest, there are few ways that you can promote your business or charity for £1 nowadays! Have a read, have a look and if you want to know more, just drop Alan a line and he will be sure to assist. If you do come onboard, please ping me too and I will help you promote your business or cause. My pleasure.

Thanks as always for your support, Alan. Bjorn and I have been fortunate to have a lot of loyal supporters over the years. It is always nice to recognise them.

More Miles for More Smiles

It was an absolute pleasure, honour and privilege to meet up with the guys from Miles for Smiles this week. Take a bow Callum Worker, Jordan Packer, Joe Elkin and their support driver, “Wardy.”

You will remember that they are walking from Liverpool to London and back to the Midlands to raise money for the Me&Dee charity appeal (see below.)

I walked with them from Park Royal to Wembley. That was perhaps two miles and the furthest and fastest I have walked in almost two years since my cardiac arrest. It put me in bed for almost 48 hours….these heroes had a mere 400 miles to do! Gentleman, thanks for everything you have done. You have raised an incredible amount of money for a magnificent cause. You have also restored my faith in the human race. What with Covid deniers, Brexiteers and Johnson apologists, the world can seem a dark place at times. You have proved that there are good people out there too. Thank you.

From Wembley, they had another five days of walking via Watford, Luton, Northampton and Leicester. Big shout to all the clubs along the way and an extra trumpet call for Leicester City who really rolled out the Red (Blue?) Carpet for the team. At the King Stadium they were joined from a group from Me&Dee and “allowed” to walk an extra lap of the pitch!!!!

The boys have done everything they set out to do and more and they deserve our total respect. Obviously, they could not have raised £40,000 without the help of the sponsors. It is invidious to name anybody as a £500 donation from a multinational business might hurt the company less than the £10 sent from a pensioner’s savings. I wish to thank you all and I know that everybody involved with the event would also like to thank you sincerely. Every £1 made the next painful step a little easier. Every good wish on Facebook (and there have been hundreds) made the next mile a little shorter.

Congratulations to everybody and if you have not made a donation, please do so here. There IS still time.

Me&Dee

We are a Derby based charity that provide holidays in our lodge that is located in Sherwood Forest. We give memory making holidays for adults and children who face a life changing, life shortening or terminal conditions. By donating, you have become a memory maker, thank you for supporting us.

Charity Registration No. 1146147

I was excited to read about Callum and his friends yesterday. They were off to see Macclesfield Town play. Nothing special about that except they were walking there from Liverpool!!

Read on, dear readers!

So, Callum and his friends Joe, and Jordan are WALKING 440 miles to visit 33 football clubs over just 16 days. Impressive! Hugely impressive! I reached out to them on Facebook and soon got a bit more of the story.

They say, “When time is precious for families who find themselves facing a life changing, life shortening or a terminal condition me&dee provide a break in our lodge for them to create precious memories to hold forever. By making your donation you help me&dee deliver something that means the world to both adults and children, ensuring that the environment and the experience they have somewhere to cherish, love and remember. Thank you for your support, as a self funding local charity we depend on donations from people who believe in the work we do.”

How can you help? Well, the good news is that everybody can help. A very practical way is too share their story (see below). Secondly, you are welcome to walk with them as they pass your area. You can check where they are on their Facebook page in real time. If you can’t do that, you can walk one mile anywhere in the world and donate £1. Obviously, if you are able, you are welcome to donate more but just a few thousand people donating £1 would make a massive difference. If you are a business, they have sponsorship offers and I will additionally highlight you on any of my sites too. You can contact them via Facebook or Twitter.

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About the charity

Me&Dee

We are a Derby based charity that provide holidays in our lodge that is located in Sherwood Forest. We give memory making holidays for adults and children who face a life changing, life shortening or terminal conditions. By donating, you have become a memory maker, thank you for supporting us.

Charity Registration No. 1146147

Donation summary

As of 14 August 2022 17.00

Total raised £32,054.00 (+ £6,285.50 Gift Aid)
Online donations £28,362.00 Offline donations £3,692.00

Supporters to date 224

• Julie slater7 minutes agoAmazing guys for a well worthy charity x£30.00
• Anonymous9 minutes ago£10.00 + £2.50 Gift Aid
• Jo Duma19 minutes agoDoing amazing!£20.00 + £5.00 Gift Aid
• Tats family33 minutes agoFantastic effort£30.00 + £7.50 Gift Aid
• Hayley Lees44 minutes agoWell done guys! Keep going xxx£30.00 + £7.50 Gift Aid

Show more supporters Give Now

Portobello FC

I was delighted to find a new club local to me this week. I was even more delighted to see their unique shirts. The boys at Portobello Football Club were kind enough to send me some details of the club and its ethos. I wish them well.

“Portobello Football Club is a hyper-local football club representing the world-famous Portobello Road and the local community in Notting Hill and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Kicking off this season (22/23), Portobello FC aims to challenge the status quo and to become one of the most exciting projects in non-League football by embracing the colourful and creative nature of the community.

The area is known across the world for the Portobello Road Market, the Notting Hill Carnival, and the film ‘Notting Hill’ starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts! Popular with tourists, it was also the stomping ground for the iconic punk-rock band The Clash as well as the British reggae group Aswad!

Working with American sportswear brand Icarus, Portobello FC have been able to produce an eye-catching collection of kits that are far from boring and have sold across the world. Portobello FC have also collaborated with London-based street artist FacesOrFaces to produce a limited edition, graffiti-style football kit!

Behind the Badge: The peacock, a symbol of pride, integrity, and beauty. A bird as colourful as Portobello Road, a nod to the Notting Hill Carnival, and a promise to play the beautiful game the way it is supposed to be played. The crown, a symbol to represent the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea – our wider community.

The club will be competing in the Middlesex County Football League at the very bottom of the English Football pyramid.”

I wish them every success in the seasons ahead. If Dorking Wanderers can do it ………

Get in touch with the club via their website or via Twitter

I was disappointed to learn that Luton Town legend Mick Harford had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I was equally pleased to see that all at the club are supporting him and all others who have the disease. Great respect to all at Kenilworth Road.

March The Month for men like Mick.

The football season is almost underway, with debates about who’ll be crowned champions in full flow. But there’s one thing every football fan can agree on – too many of our men are dying of prostate cancer. And that’s why everyone can March The Month this September. No matter who you support.

Last year we saw fans across the UK take part in Prostate United, the monthly running and cycling challenge. Staff from teams like Leeds United, Wolves and Everton made up the miles together each day and have so far raised more than £100,000. Luton Town boasted the biggest squad – including manager Nathan Jones – running every day to support assistant boss and club legend Mick Harford, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year. 


“I’ve been overwhelmed by the level of support and this gesture from the staff at the football club is amazing,” Mick

This September we have a challenge for football fans everywhere – walk 11,000 steps a day for 11,000 dads, partners, grandads, sons, brothers, uncles and mates who die from prostate cancer every year.

Do it alone, with family, a team, or your mates from 5-a-side, and you’ll join a dedicated community of marchers who’ll support and inspire you along the way. You’ll never march alone.

SIGN UP TO MARCH THE MONTH

BRENTFORD’S SECOND KIT REVEALED FOR 22/23 & 23/24 SEASONS

• Influenced by the popular kits of the 1980s and early 1990s, and featuring the castle crest, Brentford’s new Umbro strip is on sale in-store
  

In all honesty, I am proud of Brentford doing the right things by fans. Far too many clubs issuing 3,4,5,6 shirts per season nowadays (“Goalkeeper’s third shirt Champions League short-sleeve Version” etc) 

“With our fans behind us, we are never away from home.” The words of Thomas Frank which have helped inspire Brentford’s new Umbro second jersey for 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.

The new kit has been revealed today and will go on sale in the Bees Superstore on Saturday 23 July, 9am. The light blue design, reminiscent of our away kits from the eighties and early nineties, feature an embroidered castle crest and will be the second kit in as many years which will be rolled over for two seasons.

The castle crest was introduced in 1975 as a celebration of ‘the fortress’ Griffin Park, when, in the 1929/30 season, the Club went on a record-breaking run of 21 home wins and was used by the Club for 18 seasons between 1975/76 and 1992/93. It has been reintroduced to the new kit for this two-year cycle, representing the fortress which our fans help us to build away from home. 

With its stylish design and comfort, we believe it will please the fans as much off the pitch as it will the players on it. It also features ribbed cuffs and collar, signed off on the inside with ‘Bee Together’, our message of inclusivity and our Bee symbol printed on the neck.

Jon Varney, Chief Executive of Brentford FC, said: “The castle badge holds a special place in many of our fans’ hearts and this kit gives us the chance to celebrate a period in our history while acknowledging the impact that our fans’ support gives Thomas and the team, particularly away from home.

“We took the unusual decision last season to roll our home kit over for two seasons, offering more value to our fans and helping to reduce our carbon impact by extending the kit’s lifespan. The feedback from our supporters, and beyond, was overwhelmingly positive so we’ve decided to take the same approach for the new second kit.

“We know we have more to do to step up our sustainability efforts across the Club but we feel that this simple step will encourage others to think differently and consider other ways to reduce their own impact on the planet.”

Adult shirts will be priced at £52 and £40 for juniors. This marginal increase (£3 for adults, £2 for juniors), in comparison with last season’s prices, is due to unavoidable supplier cost increases. In comparison with other Premier League teams’ shirt prices, and with it having a two-season lifespan, it will be one of the best value shirts in the league.

Prices of the home shirts, rolled over from last season, remain at £49 for adults and £38 for juniors.

The new second kit will be in action at both the VfL Wolfsburg and Real Betis matches on 23 and 30 July respectively.

Fans should note that, based on current sponsor contracts and possible regulatory changes, the sponsors on the kit may be subject to change for season 2023/24.

Utilita’s branding will continue to feature on the Brentford FC Women’s First Team, Women’s B Team and Academy match kits, along with all junior replica kits for this season.

Fans will be able to purchase the new second kits exclusively in the Bees Superstore in-store on Saturday 23 July (9am-6pm) and on Sunday 24 July (10am-4pm) with sales opening via our official online Bees store at 10am on Monday 25 July.

I got a lovely email from a neighbour today. Jonathan Burchill confirms that his book about Griffin Park
is now in print. He says, “Brentford FC played its last game at Griffin Park in 2020. As a fan of 40+ years I decided to research and record its history in a book called “A Pub On Each Corner” – a fact the ground was famous for.

But rather than the football taking centre stage (of course that’s included), all the other “little” stories of events which happened at Griffin Park have equal mention. Whether it’s which order the floodlights went up, the different adverts on the roof (which could be seen on Heathrow’s flightpath), the developments plans which never happened, a tap-dancing record, the potential moves away, the first club shop or even the theft of some pears from the manager’s office – it’s all been recorded.

Going through the 116 years the book also tends to reflects the social history of the time – strikes, inflation, government restrictions on crowd size, etc. History does tend to repeat itself!

Although it’s about Griffin Park, I’m sure supporters of other clubs will relate to many of the stories.”

The publishers add:

“From 1904 to 2020, Griffin Park was the iconic, idiosyncratic, and much-loved home of Brentford FC.

For 116 years, and deriving its name from the symbol of a brewery that owned the orchard before the stadium, Griffin Park witnessed highs and lows and much in-between, hosting over 2,800 football matches and numerous other occasions. One of a kind, it was the only English football stadium that had a pub on each corner.

In this fascinating book, lifelong Bees fan Jonathan Burchill draws from contemporaneous resources to present a unique history of Brentford through season-by-season reviews of the events at Griffin Park. Recounting stories and statistics from both on and off the pitch – from fires to floodlights, from abandoned redevelopment plans to multiple missed penalties – Jonathan weaves an extended, fascinating insight not just into this remarkable West London football club but into the social history affecting those connected with it for over a century.

As the Bees settle into their new home at Brentford Community Stadium in the Premier League, A Pub On Each Corner provides a comprehensive and insightful account into their time at Griffin Park, and is a must-read for any Brentford fan, old or new!”

This book is also available for purchase at the Bees Superstore.“

It’s available from the publisher (click), Amazon, WHSmith, etc

Football fans are uniting to walk a marathon this September and raising money to help beat the most common cancer in men. We want you on our team! Join a Football March and experience a unique marathon walk, which starts, finishes and passes through some incredible football clubs along the way. Meet like-minded supporters with inspiring stories, join them on this 26.2 mile walking challenge and raise money to help fund lifesaving prostate cancer research.

Sign up before Monday 18 July using code EARLYFOT2022 and you’ll get £5 off the £35 registration fee. Don’t forget to share this code with your mates and take on the challenge as a team.

SIGN UP NOW

Where are we marching? Choose from one of four epic locations:  Greater Manchester – Thursday 22 September 2022 Starting at Altrincham FC, Altrincham.  South Coast – Friday 23 September 2022 Starting at Fratton Park, Portsmouth.  West Midlands – Saturday 24 September 2022 Starting at St. Andrew’s, Birmingham.  London – Sunday 25 September 2022 Starting at AFC Wimbledon, London. Can’t see a location or date that works for you? If you can’t see a location or date that works for you, or if you’d be more comfortable marching on your own or in a smaller group, then why not organise your own Football March in your local area.

By taking part in a Football March and raising money, whether you are coming to one of our organised events or are organising your own, you’ll be helping to fund lifesaving research into earlier prostate cancer diagnosis, better treatment and essential support services. So bring your mates, visit iconic football stadiums and help save men’s lives.

JOIN A FOOTBALL MARCH

Thank you all for your support. We can’t wait to see you at a Football March in September. If you have any questions, please email us or call on 0203 310 7034. Rosie & Matt  Football March Team  Men, we are with you