Allan Atkinson (Al)

Al was agiant of aman. He wasn’t seven feet tall or anything but when the sad and untimely task of organising his funeral fell to myself and one of his closest friends Alan Turner,weweredeluged with condolences and genuine offers of help by ahuge number of people whose lives Al had influenced and enriched and when the funeral was done, we knewtherehad to be more to remember him.

He had been abookmaker earlier in his life and was amassiveracing fan and when Alan suggested sponsoring arace in his honour, Iinstinctively knewhewas right. It says something of the man that our problem when filling acoach to travel from Kidderminster for today was working out who not to invite in order to keep numbers manageable.

Al was aminor celebrity in Kidderminster.After bookmaking, he had runasnooker club (with Alan in his later years) and he was one of those people who truly was known by everyone in town. Notonly that but he was extremely popular too and awordthat cropped up time and again after we lost him was “gentleman”.

He was kind, generous, knowledgeable and sociable and he would haverelished watching aHurdle race, so this seems awonderfully fitting way to remember him. Ourgroup will cheer the winner home this afternoon and enjoyagreat day to celebrate the man after whom this race is named.

Ihope he’s found avantage point to watch it from too.