Mod community pulls together to fulfil Jimmy’s dream

Mod community pulls together to fulfil Jimmy’s dream

For Jimmy Reynolds, the dream of a lifetime came true over the weekend as the Mod received the welcome surprise of two dozen fellow Mods, along with their iconic scooters, on his doorstep. The 70-year-old resident of Belong Atherton is currently in receipt of palliative care at the village and had shared his ambitions to rekindle his passion with his carers, who put the wheels in motion to make happiness happen for their customer.

As a result of their efforts, kind-hearted Mods from Wigan Scooter Club and Bolton Two Hats Scooter Club jumped on their scooters and made their way to the Mealhouse Lane village to meet their new friend, take him for a ride around the local area and enjoy the chance to ‘talk shop’ and share their stories. Speaking of the experience, Jimmy said: “When I saw what my carers had done, I was both shocked and overwhelmed. This was a great thing, and I am grateful to all that gave up their time to do this for me.”

Modernists, commonly known as Mods, are baby boomers who made their mark frequenting jazz clubs, donning fine Italian suits whilst their trademark Lambretta and Vespa scooters were parked outside. Today, the subculture continues with a more casual approach to fashion, with Parkas and Harrington jackets and boots key wardrobe staples, with scooters enduring the key part of the lifestyle.

Kim Calland, experience coordinator at Belong Atherton and Jemma Sharratt, village nurse manager, explain more about how the plan came together: “A big part of our role is supporting our customers to do the things they want to do, so we sat down with our wonderful Jimmy to find out more. “Straightaway, we hatched a plan to make his wishes happen, reaching out to my former university lecturer, Dean Mcshane" – also a Mod – who put a shout out to his community to visit Jimmy and the response was overwhelming, we couldn’t believe it when so many of them braved the rain and turned up on our doorstep. We can’t thank them enough for their generosity.”
Following the happy event, tweeting on social media platform, X, Dean Mcshane said: “A huge thank you to the amazing people from the scooter clubs and Belong who gave Jimmy a dream day! He went out in the side car and was given full Mod 5-star treatment. Faith in humanity restored, up the Mods!”

Pictured: Jimmy Reynolds, Belong Atherton
Picture 2: Wigan Scooter Club visits Belong