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Jody Craddock, once of Christchurch Football Club and currently at Wolverhampton Wanderers named the Stephen Bernard Stand at Christchurch on Tuesday.
The event was once again fabulously attended and passed off without a hitch. More than 200 people turned up for the ceremony and a large percentage stayed behind to watch the England game.
Above: Family, Friends and members of the Steve Bernard Foundation pose in front of the Stephen Bernard Stand.
Report by Craig Mathie
As I stood, beer in hand, watching Jody Craddock cut the blue and white ribbon, my mind was overcome with all sorts of emotion. Jody flanked by Sue, Tony and Jacques on one side and Mick Ryan on the other seemed as affected by the situation as any other in the crowd.
Moments passed and I was called to the newly named Stephen Bernard Stand. As I walked across the hallowed turf, and as I stood looking at the crowd I could not help but think of the last few times I had been to Christchurch Football Club.
Rewind about a year, and my first visit to Hurn Bridge. The night AFC Bournemouth took on Christchurch FC in a pre-season friendly. Having paid £5 to get in, I was expecting fireworks. And the team, and Steve in particular did not let me down. As the three of us who had made the journey stood watching I knew Steve had the talent to go far. Having been at Christchurch FC since the age of 16, he was obviously at home on the pitch and boy did it show. I remember talking to him the next day, he was so proud of the performance he had put in and justifiably so.
The next time I made it to Christchurch FC was a day that will live in my memory forever. Nine long and tortuous days had passed since the tragic accident which cost Steve, James and Bex their lives. The family's journey to hell and back had only just begun and a mixture of numbness and irrepressible sadness were the emotions I felt. As inconcievable as it is, Stevie's wake was happening in the same room we had sat in after his glorious performace a few months earlier. Steve was still with us in spirit that day, who else would have laughed more at the darts and ten pin bowling that were happening either side of us?
The new year passed, each and every day a milestone which would never have to be passed again. The Valentine's disco, our first fundraiser, was fabulously attended and raised more money that we believed possible. Around this time, the Steve Bernard Foundation was born, the strength of feeling, we felt should be channelled towards what Stevie loved best, sport. It is my greatest honour to be events director for the Foundation, it has been my method of coping with the loss of the closest of friends.
And now the fourth time I had made the journey up the A338, to watch the most lasting of tribute. I stood next to Jody, he had not known Steve, but had known the torture of losing a loved child. In a time where we are all united by grief it is reassuring to know we have people around us.
Yet all of the time I think about the sorrow that has gone before, I find myself combatting it with happy memories. I have not one bad memory, so after as I posed for the photo, I had a smile on my face. A smile fuelled, clearly not by the fact Stevie has gone but by the fact he was here and I had a friendship with him that will be hard to match.
I hope to see you all at a fundraiser in the near future.
