FOOTBALL fan Michael Lane took his love of the beautiful game to another level after visiting almost 150 football grounds – a challenge that helped him to overcome mental health problems.
Michael, of Alvaston, spent 19 months travelling round 145 football grounds – from Carlisle in the north to Plymouth in the south west and Dover in the south east – and he raised £1,600 for various good causes, including Royal School for the Deaf Derby.
The 56-year-old, who spent a year in the Radbourne Unit in the Royal Derby Hospital and Cherry Tree Close Unit in Kingsway Hospital, says the project helped him focus on leaving the house and communicating with strangers – a task he found extremely difficult.
READ MORE: Royal School for the Deaf choir perform at University of Derby to launch Disability Month
Michael said: “For at least 4 months of my stay in the 2 units, I was extremely insular and would normally only speak to my brother, his wife and the hospital staff. Communication with the other patients was very infrequent and was usually only as a result of a request from, or intervention of, the hospital staff.
“When I was discharged, and back in normal circulation, it was really important that I had something to occupy myself and this project gave me something to focus on.
“I worked for the railways for 36 years and I didn’t go back after my illness, but I did still have a railcard, so I went everywhere by train. This meant that often I’d arrive at a station and I’d have to ask for directions to the ground – this was challenging for me but did me a lot of good too.
“My first ground was Doncaster Rovers and sometimes I could tick off several grounds in a day – like Stoke, Port Vale and Crewe and areas such as London and the other big cities that contained multiple grounds.
READ MORE: Five-star hygiene rating for much-loved kitchen staff at St Giles School in Derby
“I enjoyed the challenge and my favourite ground has to be Manchester United – it was so impressive. But then it was also nice to see some of the smaller grounds like Yeovil, Grimsby Town and Harrogate which are more old-style traditional grounds, rather than the modern day stadiums.
“My next challenge will be the Scottish grounds, although this will take a lot more planning because it’s so far to travel before I get to even the first ground.”
Michael has split the money he raised between several charities including the British Heart Foundation, Parkinsons UK, MIND and the Royal School for the Deaf Derby, in Ashbourne Road.
He visited the school to hand over a cheque and tell the children about his challenge – showing them the football shirt filled with badges he bought from each ground.
Head teacher Helen Shepherd said: “Not everyone realises that this school is actually a registered charity and any donations of this nature are so gratefully received.
“Michael obviously benefitted personally from this challenge, but his gift to the school also means hundreds of children will benefit too, so we’d like to thank him for his kindness.”
ENDS
For further information please contact Sarah Newton at Penguin PR on 01332 416228 or email [email protected]
