“Tranmere Rovers are more than a football club and they have helped me massively”
Barry – a lifelong Tranmere Rovers fan and season ticket holder, holds the Club in high admiration for the support they have offered him personally and the local community as part of raising awareness for World Mental Health Day 2021.
Barry wanted to share the story of his time during the pandemic and how Tranmere Rovers in the Community were there on hand to support him.
He said: “I spend a lot of time on my own at home and life can get quite lonely. Shirley would ring me up and Steve too, and it would form a big part of my day that went into getting rid of that void in your life.”
“You get some days when you’re a bit down – we all have our ups and our downs for no particular reason and it’s just fate that somebody will pick up the phone and say ‘How are you Barry today, how are you doing?’
“It’s just good support and it makes you feel that somebody wants you, somebody does think about you, and that somebody does care about you. It helps me a lot.”
“My life wouldn’t be as good or as happy as it is without having the support from Shirley or Steve. I’ve had wonderful support from this Club. It’s a brilliant family club and it’s more than just a Football Club.”
“Football is important and we all like to win games, but Tranmere go more than the extra mile – they’re just such nice people.”
“Football is a competitive sport; it makes you think and it’s an outlet for the everyday stresses of life.
He continued: “I can have a bad day and I can come down here, sit and watch a football match and feel totally different an hour and a half later, because it takes away the stresses of life.
“People say ‘mental health? Just get better’ but it’s not just a case of pull yourself together and get on with it because you need support and you need an outlet.”
“Get away from thinking about yourself and how bad things are because life is actually good. I love life and I love Tranmere Rovers.”
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Day theme is ‘Do one thing’ whether that be starting a conversation about mental health, educating yourself more around mental health or a gesture that can change how someone is feeling.
After speaking to Barry Tranmere Rovers, Head of Community, Steve Williams, presenting Barry with a signed picture from the first team squad.
He said: “In line with the ‘do one thing’ theme, we thought it would be nice to present Barry with a signed picture from the squad.
"It’s no secret that Barry is a massive Tranmere Rovers fan everyone around Prenton Park, fans, staff, knows who Barry is.
"He is a huge asset to what we do here and is a valued member of Tranmere Rovers in the Community and brings a lot of laughter to our sessions and is often the one to pick people up when they are having a bad day.
When he was finding things a little harder than normal during lockdown, we felt it was only right that we were on hand to make sure he was ok and as soon as we could get him back together with the Thursday group the better.
The smile on his face when we handover the picture makes you can see his love for the Club, for as long as Barry needs us and the Club, we will be there for him”
To find out more about the support offered by Tranmere Rovers in the Community, please email community@tranmererovers.co.uk