Manchester City took their four trophies to Willow Wood Hospice to visit lifelong fan Mark Whittaker.
Manchester City's four trophies have been from Australia to India to China to Abu Dhabi - and will soon visit Norway, Argentina, Brazil and the USA. The club are also making sure to keep visiting deserving supporters wherever possible - as highlighted by two visits to seriously ill fans on the opposite side of the world.
Recently, when visiting Australia as part of the worldwide tour, City arranged for the trophies to visit lifelong fan John Cretney, who left Manchester in 1968 for down under and has never missed a live, televised game since, despite living 17,000km away. John has sadly been diagnosed with a terminal illness, so with the trophies in Australia on their tour, City surprised him with the four cup at his home in the Australian Blue Mountains, accompanied by a video message from John Stones.ALSO READ: 'The Champions League trophy is in my kitchen!' - Man City surprise fans who missed treble finals As well as multiple school visits, the club have taken the trophies to fans in Manchester who have been ill, or could not make the finals due to old age. In July, they visited supporter Alan Baker, who was receiving care at Dr Kershaw's Hospice in Oldham, and the club welcomed Alan’s widow and family to the Etihad on Saturday vs Brighton as guests of the club, continuing their support for the family. After returning from Australia, last week, the trophies were part of a similar surprise for fan Mark Whittaker, a lifelong City fan and is receiving care at Willow Wood Hospice in Ashton-under-Lyne after being diagnosed with malignant melanoma in March this year, and now requires 24-hour holistic and therapeutic care. After seeing coverage in the Manchester Evening News of the treble trophies visiting Alan Baker at Dr Kershaw's, Willow Wood approached City to see if the same could be arranged for Mark. Last week, the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup trophies were presented to Mark, along with the UEFA Super Cup, in his room at the hospice. "There was absolutely no way I expected it," Mark told MEN Sport of the surprise. "I knew the trophies were in Australia so I thought there was no way I would see them. I had told some friends through the 'Blues in Business' group that that was the only dream I had left really, to have a photo with these two because I've never seen them." Mark was referring to the Champions League and Super Cup trophies, making sure to have pictures with each one having not been present to see City win the trophies due to his ill health. City also presented him with a shirt signed by the first team squad, and Willow Wood recently arranged for former City player Peter Barnes to send a personalised message for Mark. So City brought the trophies to Willow Wood, to the delight of Mark and wife Julie, as he recalled a life of following the Blues up and down the country - and even in Europe, where he and two friends drove to Dortmund for last year's Champions League clash. As well as running a driving school and photography studio, Mark used to be a steward at the Etihad, but gave that up when Pep Guardiola became manager to watch as a fan with his father. Discussing his European trips, he said: "You spend your life thinking 'I'll do it next year'. I'm bloody glad I did it because it might not have been any year. We always said 'it will cost £350, we can spend it on something else.' I went to Copenhagen and Dortmund last year, it didn't disappoint, what an amazing experience. It's not just about City, it's the whole event. Family, who you go with, how it feels. "Not getting to the finals was the biggest thing. It broke my heart. I've seen the Charity Shield, FA Cup, League Cup. The League Cup is one of my favourite cups bizarrely because City did a film in 2012 called Blue Moon Rising where fans recreated famous moments in the club's history. "That story about the little boy was me. That was my story. I wrote in to City and the next thing I was at Mary D's and they recreated my bedroom from 1976. I'd throw socks at the wall, recreating Dennis Tueart's overhead kick. "Football is a blessing. Watching City win is a blessing. I never thought I'd see any of that in my lifetime. To be woken up by these trophies is absolutely beautiful." Wife Julie paid tribute to the staff at Willow Wood, saying: “Everyone at the Hospice has been exceptional. From the moment you walk in, you feel like you are in a very loving and comfortable place. Mark’s time here at Willow Wood has been all we had hoped. "It’s a real home-from-home environment and he has had such loving, professional and caring treatment and been made to feel comfortable, safe and looked after.” Nicola Burke, Specialist Occupational Therapist at Willow Wood, said: "We can’t change a patient’s life-limiting condition but we can try to make the time they have as holistic and meaningful as possible. "We want to try to make a positive difference to their life. A hospice is about living with a life-limiting condition as best as a patient can so they can still be as independent as possible for as long as they can and to help them keep their role and identity and feel they have a purpose in life. "Hospice care isn’t just within the walls of the hospice, hospice care can also be delivered in a patient’s own home if that is what the patient and their family prefers." Karen Houlston, CEO of Willow Wood Hospice, added: "We are very grateful to Manchester City Football Club for engaging with us and bringing their trophy collection to the Hospice as a surprise for our patient Mark. I want to thank our amazing staff who have supported Mark. "This is a shining example of how the Hospice works together as one team towards the common goal of ensuring all the needs of our patients and their families are met, including collaborating with our partners and external organisations to achieve this." Get City transfer updates on WhatsApp! The transfer window has been a hectic one and City have been busy, with high-profile signings and sales aplenty. City snapped up Croatian pair Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol from Chelsea and RB Leipzig respectively with the latest addition being Jeremy Doku. Wolves' Matheus Nunes then joined the Blues on deadline day. In terms of outgoings, Treble winner Ilkay Gundogan departed for Barcelona, Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez moved to Saudi Arabia, and Cole Palmer completed a shock move to Chelsea. Our team of City experts will be on top of all the goings-on at the Etihad across deadline day and beyond, and you can get the latest updates and inside information to your phone by joining our new free WhatsApp community below.We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Please follow us on Google to support us United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Man City break Manchester United record with win over BrightonThe winning streak could turn a year old if Manchester City win their next two home games at the Etihad Stadium.
Read more »
Man City condemn ‘offensive chants’ about Sir Bobby Charlton following sad passing of Manchester United leg...Manchester City have condemned offensive chants heard from a section of their fans about Sir Bobby Charlton. The Manchester United sadly passed away at the age of 86 with the football world coming …
Read more »
Man City condemn offensive chants about Sir Bobby Charlton after Man Utd legend's deathSir Bobby Charlton has died aged 86, his family announced yesterday.
Read more »
Man City condemn offensive chants about Sir Bobby Charlton after Man Utd legend's deathSir Bobby Charlton has died aged 86, his family announced yesterday.
Read more »
Manchester United must correct issue quickly ahead of derby vs Man CityMan United's recorded back-to-back victories on Saturday night but they cannot afford to rest on their laurels
Read more »
Pep Guardiola has discovered another Man City starter for Manchester derbyManchester City manager Pep Guardiola will have one eye on the grudge match against Manchester United next weekend when picking his team to face Young Boys
Read more »