Legacy
Legacy
Please note: this post is 71 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only
Norman (68) and David (36) met through our Love Your Neighbour programme, which introduces younger and older neighbours one-to-one for company, conversation and laughter. And for a friendship which started with a shared passion for Manchester United, what better first outing than to a match – Norman’s first in over 30 years. We caught up with them to see how they found the day.
David: “Norman and I had such a fantastic day watching Manchester United play Liverpool at Old Trafford. The sun was shining and the excitement was high as we waited optimistically before the kick off.
We arrived early, picked our tickets up, had some chips and gravy, drank a coffee and soaked in the sun.
My favourite part of the day was hearing Norman’s stories about what it was like watching our team in the ‘60s and ‘70s; from how much the stadium has changed to where he used to “knock about” as a youngster, what it was like standing in the Stretford End and actually attending the 1968 European Cup final when we defeated Benfica to win our first European Cup – he hitch-hiked from Manchester to London just to be there!
As much as we would have loved the win, a nil-nil draw didn't dampen our spirits. We were both in full voice singing the various chants throughout the match. And after the match, we went to Hotel Football and sat by the canal chatting. Norman has so many fascinating stories, it's such a privilege to be in his company.”
For Norman it was also great day:
“I didn’t think I would ever go to a game again so to be sat in the ground meant a lot. There has been so many changes and it all looked so different, I even thought we had got the win but the ref didn’t agree. I am so thankful for this opportunity.”
If you've been inspired by Norman and David and would like to get to know one of your neighbours, just like them, sign up to attend one of our inductions here – don’t be shy!