A football fan was granted a sporting wish of a life-time when he was taken on a special trip to meet his Arsenal FC heroes.
Hinchingbrooke School pupil Tomas Mayer has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a muscle-wasting condition which means he is now wheelchair bound. But the 12-year-old, of Beacon Close, Stukeley Meadows, was thrilled when he and his dad, Dean, were chauffeur-driven in a Bentley to the club’s Hertfordshire training ground.
Mr Mayer, 47, who is also an Arsenal supporter, said: “It was a thoroughly enjoyable day. Tom was a bit star struck and I found it a bit nerve-racking but the players were all pretty down to earth.
“We were particularly thrilled when Theo Walcott came up to see us as we didn’t expect to see him because he’s long-term injured.”
The trip was filmed with help from TV presenter Jeff Brazier, probably best known for being on ITV’s This Morning.
Host for the day was former Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn who is an ambassador for the Sports Connections Foundation (SCF), the charity which organised the trip.
The SCF’s Junior McDougald said: “We massively need funding, support and donations from individuals and local companies so that we can provide more ‘sporting wishes’ for children like Tom who are facing life-threatening illnesses.
“That will also allow us to support more children in Huntingdonshire by using sport to help transform their lives and create positive futures for then which we can do only with your help.”
For more on the Sports Connections Foundation, call 01733 390337 or email junior@scfoundation.org.uk.
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