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Suits You, Jonjo!

Don’t be unduly surprised on Saturday morning if, as you gaze idly at the Champions statue at the bottom of Green Street, you suddenly find yourself surrounded by hundreds of people.

No, they will not all be queuing to purchase a signed copy of Nearly Reach The Sky from the very wonderful Newham Bookshop opposite (notice the subtle way I slipped that in?). The sizeable crowd you will be silently cursing for photo-bombing your selfies (whatever that means) will be on a considerably more noble mission than flogging a few books (available in pristine condition for the unbelievably reasonable price of just £12.99).

This will be the climax of the latest fund-raising challenge by the inspirational Jonjo Heuerman – who at the age of 13 has done more to help others than most of us manage in a lifetime.

West Ham season ticket holder Jonjo is no stranger to regular readers of WHTID. Every February he sets himself a Herculean task to raise money for the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research and honour his beloved Nan Lynn, who – like Bobby – died of bowel cancer at this time of year.

This year he is undertaking an 800-mile marathon, stopping off at every one of the 20 Premier League grounds over the course of two weeks. The odyssey – his fifth – began at St James’ Park, Newcastle, on Valentine’s Day and since then he has cycled between the stadiums outside London. From today he is abandoning the bike and, starting at Upton Park, will complete his challenge on foot and walk to each of the Prem grounds in the capital.

Jonjo, 13, from Wilmington, Kent, is being accompanied by his parents, Donna and Gary, plus an ever-changing group of supporters – which could well exceed 1,000 by 11.30am on Saturday when they congregate around the Champions statue, where they will be greeted by Stephanie Moore and a selection of former West Ham players.

Jonjo says: “I’m really excited about my challenge this year. I know it will be really hard but I want to help to find a cure for cancer so families don’t have to go through what my family did when my Nanny was ill.”

Inspirational: 13-year-old Jonjo

So far he has raised more than £200,000 for the Bobby Moore Fund – and that amazing total will be a good deal higher by the time he is back in school next week.

It is fitting that our opponents on Saturday are Crystal Palace. It was the corresponding fixture last year which came the day after young Dylan Tombides died of testicular cancer aged just 20.

The deeply moving pre-match ceremony to mark the tragedy took me back to a time before Dylan was born, and the premature death of West Ham’s greatest ever player. The first game at Upton Park after Bobby Moore died was against Wolves. On that sad and mournful day his claret and blue shirt – complete with the No 6 which was to be withdrawn by West Ham from that day on – was represented by a giant floral creation in the centre circle, carefully placed there by Sir Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters.

Shortly before the official remembrance, a Wolves fan came charging out of their end and made a dash towards the middle of the pitch. What was this outrage? Did he not know the meaning of respect? And what did he have in his hand? Abuse was heaped upon the interloper from all sides. Then he quickly laid his highly unofficial wreath on the halfway line, bowed his head briefly and, without seeking any sort of applause or recognition, dashed back to join his comrades from Wolverhampton. I’ve looked out for the Wolves score ever since.

I’m not a religious man myself. However, while I don’t go along with the biblical definition of life after death I do believe in the concept in its broadest sense. And side by side with Jonjo’s remarkable achievement is an intriguing story of resurrection. Let me hand over to Chris Bradshaw, who can tell this tale far better than me.

“My late father, Derek, was a sports fan all his life. He had played for Leyton Orient in the 50s until a broken leg cut short his career. However, to paraphrase Rocky Balboa: ‘He just had to be around it.’

“Derek formed his sportswear manufacturing company – Trophy Sportswear – in the early 60s (I was too young then, and too old now to remember the exact year) – a company that he ran from our family home with his wife and my mother, Rosemary. She quickly learned to become a pattern cutter, machinist, designer and all-round Girl Friday as Dad drummed up business from some of the friends and contacts that he’d made over the preceding years.

“Trophy Sportswear grew steadily, moving to a permanent premises in east London, employing a dozen or so machinists.

“At some point (again, I can’t remember the exact year) Dad and Bobby Moore – or ‘Uncle Bob’ as I came to know him – met and became friends, with Bob often coming round to our house or paying visits to Trophy Sportswear, and it was at some point in 1970 that a simple but revolutionary idea occurred to them … the Bobby Moore training suit.

“Dad paid Bobby £1,000 for the right to produce this garment, then Bob and my mother sat down and designed the training suite together. Inspired by the hit TV series UFO, they wanted to give it a slightly futuristic feel.

“Following a photo shoot at the Boleyn Ground with Bob and myself both wearing the training suits – the pictures of which I still have and cherish – the packaging was secured and production began in 1971. It continued for several years.

Chris and Uncle Bob

“As we all know, Bob died too young of cancer in 1993, and was followed by my mother (also of cancer) in 1995.

‘Trophy Sportswear continued trading, but Dad’s heart just wasn’t in it any more, Trophy ceased business in 1998 and he retired. Derek died of colon cancer in 2001, and as executor of his will I was left to wrap up his estate.

“It was during this process that I came across a Bobby Moore training suit (maybe the last and only!) tucked away in the back of a closet, still in its original packaging. The memories came flooding back, and I kept it for nostalgia and as a mark of respect.

“As they say in the movie industry: dissolve to 2014.

“Following a visit to my Northampton home, and over a glass of wine, I recounted the story to my close friend and self-confessed West Ham fanatic Roy Deal, who was incredulous when I showed him the photos and the training suit. Roy made a few phone calls to a few of his fellow West Ham fans, and they too admitted that they were completely unaware that such a thing had ever existed.

“And it was then that he and I were struck by a thunderbolt of an idea!

“Roy and myself have resurrected Trophy Sportswear, and it is now our intention to reproduce the Bobby Moore training suit in its original form and packaging. Pending agreement with Cancer Research UK, we will be donating a percentage of all sales to the Bobby Moore Fund. We’ve done it for the sake of the countless fans around the world, cancer sufferers, in loving memory of Mum and Dad and, of course, the late, great Bobby Moore.”

This is the suit Jonjo will be wearing when he takes the final steps of his triumphant journey along Green Street on Saturday. I for one would be delighted to shake his hand if he is not too exhausted by his mammoth fund-raising effort. And I wish Chris and Roy all the best with their new venture.

IAIN WRITES: Brian will be signing copies of his new book, Nearly Reach The Sky – A Farewell To Upton Park, at the Newham Bookshop on the corner of the Barking Road and Green Street from 11am and again after the Palace game on Saturday.

BRIAN WRITES: Late last night Russell Brand very kindly agreed to sign a copy of Nearly Reach The Sky, which will now be auctioned to raise money for the Bobby Moore Fund. This auction will close on Saturday, when I’ll hand over whatever we raise to Jonjo. If you want to make take part email me on brianwill26@gmail.com Let’s start the bidding at £25 …

If you would like to donate to Jonjo Heuerman’s appeal, you can do so HERE

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