Richard Luscombe We were delighted to present lifelong Argyle supporter Daniel Barlow with a special gift from the Trust as a gesture following a difficult period for him and his family.
Daniel lives in Cameroon but was in Plymouth during the Christmas period, giving him the perfect chance not only to go to the Theatre of Greens to see a game but also to be a mascot for the day. Sadly the Sky Bet League One fixture against AFC Wimbledon was postponed due to Covid so Daniel was unable to attend this or other games due to the family returning home.
Tragically Daniel lost his mother in January following a long battle with cancer. Daniel’s grandfather sent a message to the Trust explaining the difficult period for Daniel and the family and the disappointment regarding the unforeseen fixture cancellation. The Trust were keen to help in any way we could and to his delight, Daniel was sent an Argyle away shirt signed by the first team players as a special surprise.
Trust Matchday Coordinator Mike Price said: “We were all deeply saddened to hear the news of Daniel’s mother passing so thought we would make the gesture as our way of cheering him up. Hearing the kind words from Daniel’s father was just amazing and really makes our work so worthwhile. We wish Daniel and his family all the best and look forward to hopefully welcoming them to Home Park one day to cheer on the greens!”
The wonderful feedback from Daniel’s father read:
Dear Mr Price and Plymouth Argyle,
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Plymouth Argyle and the amazing gesture of kindness shown to my son Daniel Barlow.
My father Alleyne Barlow is a season ticket holder at the club and an avid supporter and as a Plymouthian myself my son naturally started supporting Argyle from a young age. We are an International family and having lived in Brazil, China and now Cameroon, we only get a few chances to return home and visit the family in Plymouth. We always make sure we attend games.
For this Christmas, we had purchased two game tickets plus as a surprise the Mascot package for my son. My daughter was even going to attend her first game ever to show her support for her brother. As circumstances of COVID were beyond the control of the club, we, unfortunately, didn’t get to any games nor was he able to run out on the field with his heroes. This was quite devastating for him and as a family, we supported him as best we could. In January he lost his mother to a long illness with Cancer. So things weren’t really going well for him. It was a very tough time of the year for the family.
The gesture from the club to send a signed shirt to Daniel was an amazing surprise for him. He was over the moon with the kindness shown to him and like his Dad, I am truly thankful that you have reached out to your young supporters who really do look up to the players. If he wasn’t a huge fan before, he truly is a lifelong supporter now. It was lovely to see him smile again and hold the shirt with such pride. I will get the shirt framed and he wants to place it right in the middle of his room. A little piece of Plymouth will be forever with him.
Again, thank you very much, Plymouth Argyle!
I am attaching the image of Daniel in his room with the shirt. Please do use the picture, we are happy to show the fans what a wonderful club Plymouth Argyle is.
