STUART Brown has a goal in life - to pass on his love of football to the next generation.

Stuart and his seven-year-old son, Toby, love the beautiful game. Stuart began supporting Bradford City in the mid-80s and two years ago, when Toby started showing enthusiasm for the sport, he took him to football training with Farsley Celtic Juniors FC.

Watching the game from the sidelines inspired Stuart to become more involved with the club, and he is now currently undertaking his coaching qualification to help run the under 7s.

His aim, as the current season ends, is to extend the club's reach towards Bradford including areas such as Greengates, where he and Toby live, and Idle and Thornbury to encourage the next group of children to come along and share in the many benefits playing football brings.

Stuart talks about the club's social aspect too. It brings families together in the local community. "It is a real family spirit," he says.

He says it also encourages children to get out of the house and, more importantly, exercise.

For Stuart and his son football has provided a shared pastime; it is a sport they can do together which, as Stuart, explains is even more precious following his diagnosis with skin cancer two years ago.

Since then the 42-year-old has had multiple surgical procedures and while he keeps having recurrences, he is undergoing regular check-ups to keep it under control.

The most common sign of melanoma is the appearance of a new mole or change in an existing mole. It can occur anywhere in the body but the most commonly affected areas are the back in men and legs in women.

"Involvement in junior football has given my son and I a joint interest, continued our strong bond and provided me with a focus to help through these troubling times," says Stuart.

He initially went to the doctor with a mole in his back that had started to itch and was referred to St Luke's Hospital in Bradford. A biopsy was carried out which revealed Melanoma.

Stuart explains it looked like a normal mole and was in the square of his back. It was only when it started to itch that it alerted him to the fact that it needed to be checked out.

Regular check-ups are now helping to keep the Melanoma under control.

"I am not a sun worshipper. Damage to your skin can happen at any time," says Stuart.

Now he is encouraging anyone who discovers any changes to their skin to get it checked out - immediately.

The earlier it is diagnosed, the sooner you can be treated. "If I had left it for a few more months I could have been in serious trouble."

While Stuart is conscious there is no cure for Melanoma he is also aware, and hopeful of, developing treatments which can help to keep the cancer at bay.

"They are trying to stop it from getting any worse but new treatments are coming out all the time," he says.

Stuart also has the support of his family and his employers - AW Hainsworth, the award-winning specialist textile company in Pudsey where he works as a dyehouse manager.

The company, which produces ceremonial cloth and has clothed Royalty and the Military for full-dress ceremonial occasions and also creates protective fabrics, has also sponsored the Farsley Celtic Juniors FC team strip.

Away from the workplace, Stuart spends his precious family time with his son, and football has given them both a focus.

Stuart is now keen to encourage more youngsters to get involved with the club. He says they are also working with local schools who are helping to provide training facilities.

"It (football) means so much to me and my lad because we have a joint interest in football.

"It is like a big group activity where everybody in the family can join in," says Stuart.

"It gets you out doing stuff, meeting new people, socialising and making new friends."

For more information about Farsley Celtic Juniors FC, or to get involved, search Farsley Celtic Juniors FC through Facebook.

To find out more about Melanoma visit nhs.uk/Conditions/Malignant-Melanoma

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