[By Gavin Blackwell]

Harold ‘Buster’ Footman, who has passed away at the age of 81, raised more than £100,000 for charities, during his career as physiotherapist with firstly Southend United and then Bristol City Football Clubs.

After ten seasons working at his home town club Southend, he moved to Bristol City in 1988 and spent the next 16 years working at Ashton Gate, mainly as physiotherapist, but later as kit-manager.

Buster, who served proudly in the Royal Marines before moving into football, was recipient of the Royal British Legion Gold Medal and the Lord Mayor of Bristol’s Medal for community work in his latter years.

He particularly enjoyed raising money for disadvantaged children and the elderly, doing so with feats such as marathon walks, abseiling and long distance rowing.

While in his sixties, he climbed Mount Kilamanjaro to raise funds for brain-injured children and got to within 500 metres of the summit before succumbing to altitude sickness.

Buster also worked tirelessly on behalf of the Football Association Regional Medical Society, starting the South West Branch in 1989 and becoming its secretary.