In September 2024, Bekah, the wife of Sorted Magazine’s founder and editor, the late Steve Legg, penned the introduction for the final print issue. Writing just a week after Steve had passed away in a hospital room in Worthing she wrote these words for Sorted readers: “I don’t know how familiar you are with The Lion King? Maybe you’ve watched it with your kids, or are young enough to have enjoyed it as a kid. It’s a family favourite of ours. It’s a story of a young lion, Simba, the son of the king. To cut a long story short, Simba runs away from the pride and takes up living with a warthog and a meerkat. The turning point in the story comes when Simba has an encounter with his father’s spirit and Mufasa tells him to: “remember who you are”. It’s a powerful moment. It’s a moment most of us could do with at points in our lives for all sorts of reasons. Remember who you are, who you were created to be. Remember how valued you are. Remember your values, and stand tall in those as the world changes all around you.”
Bekah continued: “As I’ve been reflecting on the 17 years that I have known and loved this man, it struck me that Steve never needed reminding who he was. He knew his purpose, he knew his value and he knew above all that he was loved by God. Steve was Steve, all the way through. On 17th April 2023, an oncologist told us that Steve had five months to live. On 16th September 2024, Steve died with a whole bonus year in the bag. A year in which he had, day after day, remembered who he was. He wasn’t allowed to drive anymore, but he rounded up a gang of mates (and me) to drive him around the country so he could still gig and tell people about Jesus. Treatments and surgeries battered his body, but he was determined to get up and walk his beloved beach with his even more beloved dog. But more than that he spent that last year loving me and our beautiful family with every ounce of his being, making sure that we would always remember who we were in his eyes and that, whatever happened, we would know our value.
The last weekend before he went to hospital, we were all at an outdoor cinema event with a fabulous picnic, singing along to Mamma Mia. We were still singing in that hospital room, in between the tears. Losing Steve is devastating, but we remember him best by remembering who we are. Know you are loved, know you are created for a purpose, and love those people you have been given in your life with every ounce of your being.”
There are plans to honour Sorted’s founder and editor, the late Steve Legg, at the Christian Resources Exhibition (CRE), Sandown Park, Surrey (October 15-16th 2025). CRE owner and longstanding friend of Sorted, Steve Goddard explained: “At The Steve Legg Arts Theatre at CRE 25 we hope to extend our good and much-missed friend’s legacy. For two hours on each of the exhibition’s two days we will bring together some of the people Steve worked with over the years on Sorted Magazineand at events all over the UK. These will include musicians Paul and Fiona Jones and Graham Kendrick, along with comedians and authors Paul Kerensa and Tony Vino. Steve’s commitment to helping ‘ordinary blokes’ make sense of the Christian faith is something we want to try and help sustain.”
It was a privilege to call Steve my boss for a good number of years and to carry his vision forward in the shape of Sorted Digital online magazine. Sorted Digital officially launches at CRE 25 where I will be speaking publicly about it for the first time. Find me at The Steve Legg Arts Theatre and on Stand Y4. I’d love to meet you in person! Grab your free ticket here.
