Fisherman's lasting legacy for Saltaire Angling Association (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Fisherman's lasting legacy for Saltaire Angling Association

9:50am Monday 13th February 2012 in Aire Valley

The daughter of lifelong fisherman who died suddenly after suffering a heart attack has given part of his legacy to encourage young anglers into the sport.

Great grandfather Brian Butterworth, who was a committee member of Saltaire Angling Association for more than a decade, died suddenly on Christmas Eve, aged 80.

His daughter Darcy Butterworth has decided to make a donation from her dad’s estate to the 145-year-old club in his memory, to provide free membership for junior members.

She said: “He had been a fisherman for as long as I can remember. Even when I was a little girl, he used to do match fishing and take us with him.

“He would always talk to me about the fishing club, so that is why I thought the best thing to do would be to make a donation to them.”

Mr Butterworth, formerly of Myrtle Court, Bingley, had been a fitter and engineer, working at the former Crofts engineering works in Thornbury, Bradford.

A keen sportsman, he played for Bradford City in his late teens and had trials for Arsenal before his first marriage. He also represented the RAF, winning the annual services cup against the Royal Navy in the 1940s.

After leaving the RAF, he worked in diamond mines in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, before joining an engineering company in Germany. He later returned to England and worked as a taxi driver in Shipley before he retired.

Paying tribute to her father, Miss Butterworth said: “He was my hero. He was a kind man and a strong man who always said the right words and kept me on track.”

Saltaire Angling Association committee chairman Andrew Marshall thanked Mrs Butterworth for her gift.

He said: “What we are proposing is that the first few who contact us will be given free membership. Hopefully, that will mean they will follow in Brian’s footsteps and get a lifetime of pleasure from angling.”

For further information, or to apply for a free junior membership, write to Saltaire AA secretary David Brazendale, 19 St Aidan’s Road, Baildon, BD17 6AJ. Alternatively e-mail the club via its website saltaireaa.org.