Every Brentford fan has their own unique way of showing the world they’re a proud Bee.
It may be pulling on a favourite team shirt, bobble hat or a red and white scarf on matchday.
Others prefer a more permanent badge of honour – a tattoo with a bee motif or the club crest perhaps that ensures the owner is truly “Brentford till I die.”
In my case, though, having a Bees design inked onto my right calf isn’t an option – because unfortunately that part of my body is missing. I lost my right leg below the knee in a landmine explosion in Iraq 19 years ago.
As a result of my injury, I wear a prosthetic leg, made by the team at the Holderness Limb Fitting Centre at Charing Cross Hospital.
Prosthetic technology is advancing all the time. Modern artificial limbs are a world away from the heavy and cumbersome devices of decades gone by.
Made from lightweight materials like carbon fibre, titanium and aluminium they’re able to replicate the function of the missing limb extremely well. They’ll never quite match skin, bone, muscle and nerves, of course, but I’m able to walk long distances, run and work. If you saw me walking down the street wearing long trousers, you’d probably not even realize I’m an amputee.
I regard the prosthetists and technicians at Charing Cross Hospital as some of the most important people in my life. Their dedication and craftsmanship mean I’ve been able to rebuild my life. Now, although walking with an artificial leg can sometimes be an annoyance, it rarely holds me back.
Like any mechanical device, however, artificial limbs don’t last forever. Just as a car needs a regular service at MOT to keep it in full working order, so do my legs. Components wear out over time and need changing.
So, when my leg came up for replacement, I asked my prosthetist at Charing Cross Hospital, Natalie Heaton, about the possibility of making a Brentford-inspired limb.
Natalie has always risen to a challenge and didn’t hesitate in saying yes.
The most important part of any artificial leg is the socket – the hard shell that connects the residual limb to the prosthesis.
Sockets were traditionally plain and purely functional, something to hide rather than show off. Nowadays, though, more and more amputees want to express their individuality with unique custom designs. As well as being eye-catching, a limb that reflects the owner’s passions and interests can also be an important part of the recovery journey.
“When it first happens to people they still want it to look like a real leg,” Natalie explains.
“Then I find as people start to get used to their new circumstances they realise ‘this is part of my life, this is me, and I want to show it off to the world and accept it.’”
The design the user chooses is limited only by the imagination, according to Prosthetic Workshop Manager, Kev Newton.
“Bright colours are pretty standard now,” he says.
“We’ve done a Minion from Despicable Me for a patient. He’s had a couple of Minion limbs. He said it was for his children but I’m not so sure! We did one covered in little sequins. They’re changing every month really.”
Kev deserves special credit for even agreeing to make a Brentford leg – because he’s a Fulham season ticket holder.
Was manufacturing a limb in the colours of his west London rivals a tough task?
“It’s fine, because Fulham supporters don’t worry about smaller clubs like Brentford – I’m just doing my job,” he jokes.
Tragically, the number of soldiers who lost limbs during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have made amputees much more visible in society.
At the same time, the rising profile of the Paralympics and Invictus Games have proved what people with limb loss are capable of, making household names of athletes like sprinter Johnny Peacock.
Social media – so often criticised for its negative influence – has also played a positive role in breaking down stigma and normalizing limb difference.
“You’ve got amputees who are really big on Instagram or Tiktok and I think people look at them and think, ‘Actually, why can’t I have that?,’” says Natalie Heaton.
“Then they’ll come in and ask and say, ‘Can I have something more colourful? Do I have to have it covered?’
“It’s more out there and more talked about and it means that we get asked more questions and we can help people achieve their goals.”
To help me achieve my goal, prosthetic technician Tigisto “Tiggy” Yared took a length of fabric printed with the Brentford club crest and our signature red and white stripes and carefully laminated it onto the socket to create a hard-wearing finish.
When the team at Charing Cross Hospital presented me with the finished article I felt a surge of pride and elation I can only compare to the moment referee Chris Kavanagh blew the final whistle in the Championship Play-Off Final at Wembley last May.
Tiggy Yared, Natalie Heaton, Stuart Hughes and Kev Newton.
It was everything I’d hoped for and more.
It may not be capable of burying a penalty in the bottom corner Ivan Toney style, but it’s striking, distinctive – and uniquely Brentford. It’s also as comfortable as Christian Eriksen’s favourite pair of boots.
With the cold days of Winter fading, I was able to put shorts on and show the new leg off at our match against Burnley earlier this month.
Picture by Johnny Clifford
Fans in the South Stand certainly seemed to approve and when Gala’s “Freed From Desire” blasted out across the stadium after our vital win I waved it at the Boys during their lap of thanks while hopping up and down like a kid on a pogo stick!
Picture by Johnny Clifford
Football fans can be a superstitious bunch, adamant their lucky jersey, pants or socks can sway the outcome of a game and reluctant to tempt fate by tinkering with their matchday attire.
I’ve never been one to believe in luck, but for now I’ll kid myself that my leg was the charm that helped ensure our first home win since early January – and I’ll be wearing it to every match just in case that’s true.
And come next season, assuming the team from Craven Cottage join us in the top flight, I won’t hesitate in putting footballing rivalries aside (at full time of course) and buy Fulham fan Kev Newton a pint to thank him for making my Bees prosthesis a reality.