Many members of our community will be familiar with the Bedingfield Boot Award, presented each year at the annual Alumni vs Sixth Form football match in memory of former Lingfield pupil Paul Bedingfield.

What some may not know is that the Boot has a Kenyan twin.

Following his studies in Bristol, Paul researched malaria drug development at Leeds University before joining the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. During this time, he took a break from his research to help deliver ACE-Africa's World Health Organization sanitary health programme in Bungoma, Kenya, alongside Jenna Soame. Today his memory continues to be celebrated through an annual football match in nearby Khaoya village.

Peter Bedingfield, Paul's father, has kindly shared an update from this year's fixture between Khaoya Junior FC and Khaoya Legends.

Originally scheduled to take place on the same day as our own Alumni vs Sixth Form match, the game was postponed after organiser Benjamin "Benmak" Makhanu sadly learned of his father's passing on the morning of the fixture. As a respected village elder with a large family, preparations for his funeral were extensive, and Benmak estimated that around 750 people attended the service.

The football match was eventually rescheduled and played on Saturday 3rd October. Khaoya Legends emerged victorious with an impressive 4-0 win over Khaoya Junior FC.

The winning team commented:

"We scored because of experience. Admittedly the Juniors were fast and energetic, but not well enough coordinated."

The Junior teams response:

"Next year will be different. We will be bigger, even faster and more experienced."

Next year's match sounds like one to watch!

Both teams are from Khaoya village, near Bungoma in western Kenya. The village is also home to the Climate Action field trials being led by Benmak, which aim to help local farmers increase agricultural yields and improve long-term sustainability.

The project focuses on a representative group of smallholder farmers, with Benmak's six-acre farm serving as a model for many similar farms across sub-Saharan Africa. The work being undertaken is particularly important as communities face the combined challenges of population growth and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns associated with climate change.

Climate Action was formed by a small group of like-minded individuals who wanted to carry forward Paul's spirit of compassion and service by supporting smallholder farmers and promoting sustainable development. While not a registered charity, the group works on practical projects designed to build a more sustainable future for farming communities.

To find out more about the work of Climate Action, visit the 1Planet1Destiny website.