What would you grab first in the event of a flood? Me, I think I would grab my wallet, keys, cell phone and laptop. For some individuals in the UK, their season tickets for their favourite soccer club were the most important items to grab.
The recent floods in Carlisle, compliments of Storm Desmond, had inhabitants scrambling for higher, drier ground, with some grabbing irreplaceable photographs of family and others making sure that their pets were safe, but 67-year-old Angela Watson decided that her Carlisle United season tickets were the one thing she could not afford to lose, and only later realised that in her rush to save her precious tickets she had left behind not only her handbag but also her husband’s wallet and medication.
While this may seem strange to some, Angela said, “When we realised the water was rising, I grabbed the computer and modem, then I thought ‘Oh, desk – season tickets!’ so I grabbed them, took them upstairs and then an hour later the water was literally 4ft 5in – I measured it by a mark on the wall.â€
Watson lives opposite Carlisle United’s Brunton Park stadium, and has followed the team since she was five years old. It seems that her faith in her team is well-founded though, as not only are they her favourite team, but fifteen of the club’s players showed just why they are so beloved when they doffed their soccer togs in exchange for wellies and industrial cleaning masks and helped residents to clean up and clear some of the homes that were the worst affected by the storm.
While the clubhouse and grounds suffered damage and some of the players’ own homes and cars were damaged too, their first thought was to give back to the community that has supported them over the years, including helping to clear the house of Bill Douthwaite, a 73-year old, lifelong Carlisle fan who had to be rescued from his home on a floating fridge-freezer after the storm.
It is great to see a community helping one another like this in times of crisis, and it seems that their support for their favourite team has shown great returns, with the team volunteering on many fronts, clearing, transporting goods to those most affected and just offering any help that they could, wherever they could.
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