Noel Hodgson and Bobby Brown, residents from Newlands Care Centre in Workington recently visited Borough Park, the home ground of Workington AFC, known as “the reds” to locals.
A day trip out as part of the Life Enrichment programme at Newlands Care Centre, Noel and Bobby were treated to a day out to see the old playing ground they both once played on in the 50’s and 60’s, under legendary manager Bill Shankly. Until recently, Bobby was the record appearance holder at the club with 469 games, and Noel made 51 league appearances before leaving the club in 1962. Ian Telford, the Activities Coordinator at the care centre who joined Noel and Bobby on the trip had also been a coach at Workington AFC too from 2009 to 2015.
Borough Park has been the home of the Reds for over seventy years, but it was recently reported that the council has plans to demolish Borough Park and replace it with a brand new stadium for Workington AFC, Workington Town RL and community use.
The team at Newlands Care Centre, which is run by Barchester Healthcare, wanted to treat Noel and Bobby for a trip out to their old familiar grounds as a farewell tribute to the fond experiences they had there. Recently appointed Activities Coordinator to the care centre Ian Telford, who previously coached at Workington AFC made it a day to remember as they all shared their stories, with Noel saying “it was like stepping back in time.”
During the trip, the Workington AFC team invited Noel and Bobby to be part of the ‘Old Boys Parade’, taking place on the 18th of May, shortly before the last football match to be played at the ground with the current Reds going up against a Reds Legends side.
Activities Coordinator Ian Telford said: “We all really enjoyed taking a stroll down memory lane here at the Reds playing ground, we all have a bit of history here and those wonderful memories really do last a lifetime. We can’t thank the Workington AFC team enough for welcoming us into the old grounds, and we wish the club every success in the future in their new home!”
Newlands Care Centre is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Newlands Care Centre provides nursing care and dementia care for 50 residents from respite care to long term stays.
