Liverpool football stars make Mark’s day
Date: 04/03/2010
Pinetum take Mark on a VIP trip to Anfield
When Mark Boniface suffered a diving accident that left him paralysed from the neck down he never thought he would be joining his sporting heroes at their Melwood training ground - but thanks to the efforts of staff at Care UK’s Pinetum Home, in Chester, and the generosity of Liverpool FC, his dream has come true.
Tracy Simpson, Manager of Care UK’s Pinetum home wrote to the team asking if Mark could visit Anfield. She said: “Mark was our first resident when the complex care unit opened in 2009. When we first met we realised that we were both huge Liverpool fans. So I said I would try and get him to Anfield and, when he moved into the unit, we made it happen.”
Mark said: “The visit was a dream come true and it was wonderful to be able to take my 13 year old son Jack with me. Like me he is an enormous fan and the players spent ages talking to us and signing autographs for Jack.”
As well as visiting the training ground, Mark, Tracy, his carer Louise Scarlett and Care UK’s regional director Mike Smith were also shown around the museum, changing rooms and the world famous Anfield pitch.
Tracy said: ”It gave me goose-bumps to see Mark’s face light up and he was ecstatic when he met his heroes Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Rafael Benitez. All the players and staff at the club couldn’t have been more generous with their time.”
(from left to right: Mark's son Jack Boniface, Steven Gerrard, Mark Boniface)
Liverpool FC’s Charity Officer, Beverley Roberts, said: “It was a pleasure to be able to arrange the visit for Mark to meet his heroes, he was an inspiration to us all.”
The complex care unit at Pinetum cares for people with specialised needs including ventilator care, acquired brain injury, spinal injury, enetic neurodisability, tracheostomies and much more.
The unit offers both permanent and temporary complex care as well as step down care for people to come from hospital into a more homely environment whilst they recuperate or their own home is being adapted. Care UK staff take great pride in finding ways of making a difference to the lives of the people that they care for.
