BRANDON SUTTON MEMORIAL CUP GAME SOLD OUT

ALL tickets for the Brandon Sutton Memorial Cup game taking place on May 10 have now been sold.

The Pirelli Stadium will be hosting a fundraising football match as a memorial to eighteen-year-old-Brandon, who was in his second year on The Football and Education Course with Burton Albion Community Trust and Burton and South Derbyshire College when he died on January 1 in a road traffic accident.

Everyone at Burton Albion and BACT was deeply saddened by his death and the club will now host a football game on the Pirelli Stadium pitch in his memory.

The Brandon Sutton Memorial Cup will take place on Wednesday, May 10, with a 7pm kick off.

The Brandon Sutton Memorial Fund will receive the proceeds of the game which will be used to support a Young People’s Bereavement Help Point that Burton Albion Community Trust will be running in conjunction with St Giles Hospice.

Sarah Evans, Education and Employability Manager, at BACT said: “A big thank you to everyone who has bought a ticket and who will be supporting the game. It’s amazing to see so many people wanting to honour Brandon by being part of this.

“The family’s main desire was to fund something that would be ongoing and have a lasting legacy for Brandon.  An Adult Bereavement help point is already up and running on site at the football club but nothing similar is in place for young people. Having a safe space where young people can come together to talk about feelings, laugh, cry, joke and ask questions would be a major benefit.  Meeting others who have also lost a loved one will hopefully mean they don’t feel alone and can get signposting to other agencies and support that can help them.

“Alongside this, the Community Trust is also looking to develop and roll out some well-being programmes for local schools to support pupils who may be struggling for various reasons including bereavement.

“St Giles have been a huge support since the tragic accident and have been coming into the Football Centre to support the young people who were close to Brandon on the programme and have also offered support and training to the staff team closest to Brandon.  They are working closely with the family and the trust to develop the help point.”

The memorial match is the idea of Liam Newton, Brandon’s close friend.  Originally this started as a small gathering of friends with ‘Brandon’s Boys’ playing against the BACT Football and Education Team.

Social media interest and support was so huge that Chairman Ben Robinson offered the main Pirelli stadium as a more suitable venue for the two teams to play the match.

Ben said: “We were all deeply moved by the loss of Brandon, and we are delighted to be able to host this match and create a lasting legacy in his memory.

“Our thoughts remain with his family and all those who knew Brandon here at the club and trust and in the wider community. This game will be a fitting tribute to Brandon.”

Trent and Dove Housing kindly agreed to cover the cost of the officials, stewarding and other requirements. Nick Sutton Brandon’s dad works for Trent and Dove.

Ursula Bennion, Chief Executive of Trent & Dove, said: “Trent & Dove were keen to support the football match by sponsoring the costs involved. Brandon’s dad, Nick, is a valued Trent & Dove senior manager and this is one of several ways we will be working with the family and BACT to ensure a long-term legacy for Brandon.”

Brandon’s family said: “We would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone that has shown sincere support and care for us all as a family over the last few months. It goes without saying that it has been the hardest time for us all but what we have taken is strength and comfort from the outpouring of love and generosity shown by so many.

“We have shared many happy stories about Brandon from spending time with his friends to hearing stories about him at college, on the pitch, at the pub and many more. Of course,’ we know what a special person Brandon was, but the stories shared by so many have really demonstrated how far reaching he was and how many lives he touched. What we have heard loud and clear is that Brandon was a confidante and offered support to lots of people and so as a legacy to him we want to focus on something positive.

“It’s important to us that we reach as many local young people as possible and to know that the donations are targeted at making a real difference to others during their time of need. For those close to Brandon, you will know that one of his most favourite quotes was ‘we go again’, the perfect phrase for those of us that are having to do just that…”

Tickets are now sold out and there is no option to pay on the day. But although it’s too late to buy tickets you can still make a donation.

To make a donation go to https://app.investmycommunity.com/campaigns/bradonsut

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