Former Blues Francis Jeffers and Barry Horne helped take four lifelong Evertonians on an emotive trip down memory lane last week.
Teaming up with the Club’s Official Travel and Match Break Partner Sportsbreaks.com and their charity partner Sporting Memories, the duo joined in a Goodison Park stadium tour put on for four fans who are either living with dementia or caring for someone living with the condition.
As well as giving them a fantastic experience, the event was designed to evoke memories and give them an opportunity to reminisce about their Blues heroes and Goodison matchdays gone by.
The guests went behind-the-scenes to see the boardroom, hospitality suites and players’ lounge, before they walked into the home team dressing room to discover Jeffers and Horne sat in the very same spots they had occupied as players and ready to chat.
After sharing some stories from their playing days, Horne and Jeffers then joined the group in walking down the tunnel and out onto the pitch to the iconic sound of Z-Cars.
And there was one final surprise, as the four guests were gifted tickets for last Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Tottenham Hotspur.
Jeffers said: “It was just a brilliant event and fantastic to see the smiles on the faces as the memories came flooding back and everyone shared their stories from down the years.
“Bringing those memories back and getting them talking, that’s what this was all about - and you could see what it meant to them. It was fantastic to come back here to Goodison, to share some of my favourite memories and to be a part of it."
Sports travel operator Sportsbreaks.com and social enterprise charity Sporting Memories are working together to increase awareness of dementia and other illnesses, and to highlight the impact of live sporting experiences and how they can create treasured and lasting memories for many. Sportsbreaks.com also support Sporting Memories’ mission to help reduce isolation and improve physical and mental wellbeing of the charity’s members living across the UK.
And, having successfully delivered similar events at other sporting venues, they were keen to bring the initiative to Goodison before the Club moves to its new home on Liverpool waterfront at the end of next season.
Rob Slawson, Managing Director of Sportsbreaks.com, said: “This is our third activation with Sporting Memories and we are delighted to continue to help create experiences for the members and volunteers at the charity. Together we both believe in using sport to create amazing experiences and we are grateful to help raise awareness of living with dementia and the amazing volunteers in the UK.”
Chris Wilkins MBE, CEO and Co-Founder of Sporting Memories, said: “For our third activation it was fantastic to continue our partnership by offering lifelong fans a fantastic experience at Goodison Park. We know how much impact sport can have on our members so this opportunity to meet Everton heroes of the past and witness what goes on behind-the-scenes is incredible to offer.”
For more information on Sportsbreaks.com, including Everton packages and its sports travel experiences, click here. To learn more about Sporting Memories and their work, click here.
To find out information about Everton in the Community’s support for people living with dementia, click here.
