Pensioner's dreams come true with VIP tour of Riverside Stadium

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A Boro-mad pensioner's dreams came true when nursing home staff organised for him to have a VIP tour of the Riverside Stadium.

Jimmy Ryan, 68, who has Huntington's Disease, has been a resident of Delamere Lodge Nursing Home for around three years, but over time his symptoms have progressed and he rarely wants to leave the care home. But, when staff hit on the idea of taking the Boro-mad pensioner to the Riverside Stadium, he was raring to go and had the most amazing day.

Manager of the Delamere Road home, Sarah-Jane Mann, said: "We know he is Boro daft and just thought what if we take him? We contacted the club and they emailed back straight away that they love to do things like this and invited him along.

"Jimmy doesn't really talk, but he was all 'yes, yes, yes. Let's go'."

Staff members Helen Husband and Vikki Bailes took Jimmy along to the stadium where he got a tour of the premises and onto the pitch. Sarah said he had a brilliant day and even travelled there and back in style, pointing that he wanted the roof down on the convertible car.

Sarah-Jane said: "Jimmy enjoyed a full behind-the-scenes tour of the stadium and grounds, followed by a cheeky shopping trip to get fully kitted out for the new season. To top it all off, he was absolutely thrilled to be gifted free tickets to a match of his choice -- a truly unforgettable moment.

"A massive thank you to everyone at Middlesbrough Football Club for going the extra mile and giving Jimmy a day he'll never forget. Your kindness and generosity mean the world."

And, the home has another surprise up their sleeves for Jimmy, who is also a big fan of Marilyn Monroe. They are planning to have an artist come in to paint a huge portrait of the icon on his room wall - but wearing a Boro scarf.

Sarah-Jane said she is blessed to have such a dedicated team at Delamere Lodge and the whole event was down to the hard work of Vikki and Helen.

Kevin Robinson-Husband, operations director for Landona, which runs the home, said: "This shows the amazing work that our care staff teams within the care homes do. This is not just a job to our team and seeing the lengths that Helen and Vikki have gone to shows the dedication and commitment to ensuring our residents receive the best of the best."

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