Hereford Times - 14th January 2016 - Page 3

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Hereford Times - 14th January 2016 - Page 3

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Date 14/01/2016
Type
Format
Language English
Area Hereford Times
Collection Holder
Date of Publication 14th January 2016
Transcription herefordtlmescom
L
ife and times of a Ie
end
Thursday, January 14, 2016 THE HEREFORD TIMES
Words b RebT
Proud to be
in regiment
BRUMMlE was hair it “945 a
the mining wilage at r-‘a'r'teed
lust outsm‘ Birth age.
at 17-/ears~afa ti’
Lyn". said ire, alarm ace .e
big .
would war“. at Liu
and ac building new
their wages
what he Ina) r .
town and even."
were pan 0‘
‘Ycu would
they needed .‘
or a right out‘
sons Samuel, left, and Benjamin.
ONE of the most famous
members of Hereford’s
SAS regiment, who scaled
the heights of Everest and
helped hundreds of chil-
dren realise their potential,
has died at the age of 70.
John ‘Brummie’ Stokes
remained active on leaving
the army by setting up the
Taste for Adventure centre
in Credenhill with his wife,
Lynn, in 1991.
She, along with their sons,
Samuel, 36, and Benjamin,
34, paid tribute to Brum-
mie following his death on
Sunday.
She said: “You couldn’t
help but laugh at Brum.
He was a very large char-
acter with a large person-
ality and a large heart. He
always wanted to help peo-
p e")
They set up Taste for Ad-
venture in their back gar-
den to help under-privi-
leged children take part in
outdoor activities such as
climbing and abseiling.
Samuel works there to-
day, and Benjamin was em
ployed there before going to
work on oil rigs.
Lynn, who lives in Holmer,
said: “Brum felt he had a
wealth of experience and
knowledge. He was full of
wisdom. ,
“He wanted to put some-
thing back into the youth.
Kids then, they were get-
ting into trouble.
&amp;
Journalist Wes Smith gave Brummie an award from ITV
“They had nothing to do
and he wanted to really di-
rect their paths in a better
way.”
The centre also takes pay-
ing groups to subsidise the
charitable work performed
with youngsters and the el-
derly.
Samuel said: “It is to show
less privileged children
that there is more to life
and they are capable of
more if they are willing to
step through that door."
Brummie was awarded an
MBE in 2004 in recognition
of his work.
Lynn, 58. said he could
talk to anybody and was
very inspirational.
She added: “He touched
a lot of people's lives — all
over the country Young
people, they didn’t forget
him. He was like a magnet
really. They loved his stov
ries.
“He was just lovely to lis-
ten to and that is what I will
miss the most — the stories.”
The couple met when
Lynn worked at the Oxford
Arms in Widemarsh Street
in 1977.
She said persistence. flow-
ers and cards won her over
and they started dating be
fore they married in Her-
eford‘s registry office in
1981.
Brummie loved being a
grandad to Arthur. who is
14 months old and the son
of Samuel and his wife.
Emily. Benjamin and his
wife, Lori, live in Bourne-
mouth.
Samuel said: “Dad was a
giver. he would just give
everything a it was just un-
conditional. He wouldn‘t
ask questions. All we had to
do was ask and it was done.
Especially with his time.
he was not selfish with his
time."
Benjamin added: "He can»
quered more than moun-
tains.”
Brummie was diagnosed
in 2001 with a lung disease
called cryptogenic fibros-
ing alveolitis and was told
he only had two to five
years to live.
The family have been over-
whelmed by the tributes
to Brummie and thanked
everybody for their kind
words.
Samuel said: “His words
were ‘You can be your wild-
est dreams.”
~ Brummie Stokes‘ funeral
service will be held at Her-
eford Cathedral from noon
on January 22.
O This story has been viewed more than 160,000 times online at herefordtimes.com
’T‘
to
Train to Teach
TRAIN TO TEACH EVENT
THURSDAY JANUARY 28TH 2016
Thinking about a coreerin teaching?
Come along to Mar/brook Primary School to
find out more about routes into teaching
Primary and Secondary children,
The event will give you the opportunity to:
o attend a presentation to find out more about
the routes into teaching
meet School Direct schools within your region
who can tell you more about places available
on the School Direct Programme
meet teacher training providers from your region
who can tell you about the courses they offer
and entry requirements
THERE WILL BE TWO SESSIONS DURING THE EVENING,
EACH SESSION WILL INCLUDE A PRESENTATION.
1" Session 4.30 — 5.45
this will include a presentation at 4,45pm.
2"" Session 545 - 7.30
this will include a presentation at 6.00pm
To book a place please email:
tsadmin@marlbrook.heretord.sch.uk
or contact Michele Lewis on (01432) 266643
MARLBROOK TEACHING
SCHOOL ALLIANCE
Green Croft, Redhill. Hereford HR2 7NT
Newspaper name Hereford Times
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