You'll never walk alone: resident of Belong Atherton fulfils her lifelong wish of returning to Anfield

Staff at Belong Atherton have made a dream come true for lifelong Liverpool fan, 77 year-old Norma Peck, by helping to arrange a return to the Anfield ground where she went to regularly watch matches involving her favourite team since 1946.
Norma, who lives at Belong Atherton, was a regular supporter at the club but a decline in her health in recent years has meant that she has been unable to attend any games, although she regularly catches up with her beloved team when they are televised.
On learning of Norma’s desire to once again visit the ground, staff from Belong Atherton contacted The HoneyRose Foundation, the only UK charity who support terminally ill people over the age of 40 to fulfill such wishes, and arranged for her to visit Liverpool Football Club where she met manager Jurgen Klopp, along with some of the team’s famous players.
Norma had a wonderful day at Anfield and was treated like a true celebrity – she toured the grounds, the lounges and museum, where she got to see the iconic Champions League cup, before sitting in the dugout as ‘You’ll never walk alone’ played throughout the stadium.
The real highlight of Norma’s day was meeting the team’s manager, Jürgen Klopp who chatted to Norma and signed a Liverpool shirt for her. Klopp was joined by Liverpool stars including Adam Lallana, Roberto Firmino and captain Jordan Henderson, who all took time to talk to Norma about playing for Liverpool and the importance of their fans.
Norma said of the day: “I never thought I’d have the opportunity to return to Anfield, let alone stand on the pitch that I have watched as a spectator for the past 70 years. I have always said that visiting Anfield feeds my soul and this trip was even better that any I’ve ever had before – it was a true dream come true and I cannot think of a happier day in my entire life! I cannot thank the Belong staff enough for working tirelessly to organise this wonderful experience and for joining me on the visit.”
Gemma Willetts, experience coordinator at Belong Atherton, added: “It was a true honour to accompany Norma to Anfield – she is a devoted Liverpool fan and is known across the Belong village for watching the match each week and knowing everything that there is to know about the club! Both Liverpool FC and The HoneyRose Foundation pulled out all the stops to make Norma’s visit a truly memorable day and we cannot thank them enough for all of their support.”