Lasting legacy to 'fantastic' Steven

The fixture at Clay Cross Town Football Club in Holmgate on Sunday, August 25, promises to be a highlight of the first Steven Miller Foundation Day.
Steven, an ardent Spireites fan and captain of Brit FC, lost his life to depression in July last year. He was just 26. 
The Britannia pub owners, Sarah Spencer and Carl Bagshaw, with Steven’s sister Jade and cousin Janine set up the foundation for which Steven’s team-mates have helped raise thousands of pounds. Sarah said: “I consider it a privilege to do whatever we can to keep his memory alive and also create a lasting legacy to promote positive mental health in his name. Steve was a fantastic bloke who would do anything for anyone and would be the first to volunteer. He was extremely popular and had a lot of very good friends.”

Nicky Law’s son Wallace, 26, counted Steven as one of his best friends. He said: “Steven loved his football, He was a very driven individual and everything he did he’d do it 110 percent.
“It has been my privilege to organise the team of Steve’s Spireites Legends for the Miller Foundation Day where we hope not only to honour his memory, but to also raise funds for the foundation. 
“My dad has been a big part of Chesterfield FC over the years so he has helped me to get people on board, he is personal friends with John Sheridan and Glynn Snodin, so when my dad asked them to ‘stick their boots on for half an hour’ for such a great cause, they were more than happy to help.”

Wallace added: “Adam Smith and Gaz Davies are friends of mine and they are both really excited for the day and are looking forward to seeing some old faces.”
Rob Edwards, Jamie Jackson, Alan O’ Hare and Colin Larkin will complete Steve’s Spireites Legends team for the match on the bank holiday weekend.
Nicky Law, who was captain of the Spireites play-off winning team at Wembley in 1995, will be team manager. He said: “It’s my pleasure to be involved in this day for such a nice lad and I hope that we can do him and his family proud.” 
Programmes are priced at £5 and are available from The Britannia pub in Tupton.

“Losing Steve has left a very big hole in our life that can never be filled, not a day goes by without him being in our thoughts.
“He was his mum’s blue-eyed boy, his dad’s wonder boy, a brother who would protect, a devoted, loved and adored daddy of Angel Grace, a cherished nephew and a fantastic cousin.”

Janine Smith was speaking on behalf of her family as she talked about how her cousin had meant the world. She said: “We’re only a small family but we’ve always spent lots of time together. Steve was a cheeky character, a people person who had lots of friends and always wanted to help everybody.”
As an adult, Steven, who lived in Chesterfield, used sport to raise money for charity. He took part in a boxing match for cancer research and a 26-mile sponsored walk for Ashgate Hospice.

Janine said: “Along with his family, Steve was a devoted Spireites fan and travelled miles supporting his team.”
Steven was the eldest of three children. His brother Richard sadly lost his life in March. His sister Jade had a baby boy, Jacob, in May.

A memorial garden will be opened at The Britannia by Steven Miller’s nine-year-old daughter, Angel Grace, during the foundation day.
Sarah Spencer said: “The Peace Garden will be a place where family and friends can meet to quietly reflect and share happy memories and stories.”
Members of Steven’s family have helped to create the garden which includes a memorial bench and which has been funded by charity events. These include a Magic Millers show at the Bret Club in Clay Cross where five players from the pub’s football team mirrored the Magic Mike film to help raise more than £5000; a bike ride to Skegness which brought in £931 and a sponsored sky dive last month, proceeds of which are still being collected.

Steven’s relatives, including his dad Stuart, mum Helen, sister Jade and baby nephew Jacob will be presenting trophies to winners of the football tournament on August 25. Brit FC, Newbold FC, Brit Wannabes, CJB under 15s and CJB Dinosaurs will be among the teams competing for the honours.
The foundation day is primarily sponsored by CAN Engineering where Steven was employed from the age of 16 and worked his way up to stores manager. Jane Hartley from CAN said: “Steven was much loved and respected by all his colleagues and he’s sorely missed by us all.
“CAN has always taken mental health and well being extremely seriously, having had mental health first aiders in the business since the beginning of 2017. 
“That training, and an understanding throughout the business of how mental health can affect us all, came into its own when we sadly lost Steven last year.”

A group where men can talk about mental health issues in confidence has been launched in north Derbyshire.
Led by lifestyle coach Angga Kara, its aim is to encourage open and honest conversations in a safe space. 
The initiative, entitled Men up North, is an offshoot of the Sheffield based organisation founded by Angga after three of his friends took their lives.
He said: “Since 2017 we’ve provided over 500 safe spaces for men. We combine positive psychology into the sessions to help men upgrade their thinking.”
Angga has first-hand experience of the issues which men face. He said: “Having gone through my own mental ill health, I kept it to myself for years as I felt shame. I became suicidal. What would’ve helped me was a group like this to have open honest conversations about mental health and being a man.”
Men up North Chesterfield has been supported by the Steven Miller Foundation since last year and will meet in north Derbyshire on the following dates: August 30 and November 22 - Society coffee shop and bar, Stephenson’s Place, Chesterfield; October 11 - Chesterfield Amateur Boxing Club, Pilsley Road, Clay Cross. All meetings start at 7pm. Sessions are free but places should be reserved via Facebook’s eventbrite site.