Keith memorial tournament pays tribute to "fitba daft" Stuart Begg two years on from tragic death
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THOUSANDS of pounds were raised for charity on Saturday in memory of a "fitba daft" former Keith Grammar School pupil.
Stuart Begg was just 18 years old when he was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash on the A96 outside Keith.
The incident left his family, his friends and the wider community in a state of shock and his loss is still being felt to this day.
Determined to celebrate her brother's life, Amanda Begg organised the Stuart Begg Memorial Tournament in 2022.
Now in its second year, Amanda was delighted to see a good turnout at Simpson Park two years on from Stuart's tragic death.
"We had a good turnout," Amanda said. "Everyone was really jolly and happy so we were delighted with the amount of people that came out for it.
"It stayed dry for most of the day as well so we had a great day of football.
"It was the anniversary of Stuart's death on July 26 but we do this to make this time of year a bit easier so that we can celebrate his life and what he loved doing rather than having a sad time."
As well as celebrating Stuart's life, the tournament also provides an opportunity to raise money for charity.
This year, instead of providing the winners with trophies, Amanda asked local businesses to sponsor a £1000 prize for the winning team to donate to a charity of their choice.
That saw Glen Moir Construction and Bert's Bar donate £500 each.
"The team from Forsyths were victorious in the last 90 seconds of their game to win," Amanda said.
"So they won the £1000 and chose to donate it to Macmillan."
Donations were also taken on the day to be split evenly between Rrrrallye and Keith Grammar School's PE department.
Over £3000 has been raised for those causes with money from raffles and the bonus ball still to come.
But for Amanda and her family, the most important thing is that Stuart is remembered and that his legacy lives on.
"That's what it's all about really," Amanda said.
"He was never seen without a ball at his feet. At his funeral we asked for people to wear their football tops and the streets were just lined with different football teams.
"It was really comforting to us to know that he was so well liked.
"We want to focus on what he loved and what he was amazing at rather than what happened to him.
"It gives myself and my mum and dad something to think about and keeps them busy.
"It's fantastic and it's really overwhelming to see the amount of people who come out for the tournament."
