Handover Time – What An Honour!
Wolves Heroes’ David Instone with Bob Wilson at the cheque handover.
Wolves Heroes has had a priceless special audience with Bob Wilson on the South Coast – and had the pleasure of Vince Bartram’s company at the same time.
David Instone was invited to the Arsenal legend’s home after saying he wanted to make a donation of more than £500 to the Willow Foundation charity that the keeper and his late wife, Megs, set up over 25 years ago.
And the visit to the 1971 double winner near Poole on the day of Gary Pierce’s funeral turned into one of two and a half hours, with Bartram renewing acquaintances with his Gunners goalkeeper coach from the 1990s at the same time.
The presented money came both from book sales – including A Wolves 1970s Scrapbook – and a 5km community walk the author did in April in the company of long-serving former Molineux employees Richard Skirrow and Lorraine Hennessy for which he sought sponsorship from neighbours and friends.
“It was a comfortable walk but I only had to mention the cause and it became easy to find myself sponsors,” he said.
“I set out to find 66 backers at £1.50 each to raise £100 but soon realised I was going to generate considerably more than that.
“I remember reading Bob Wilson’s autobiography many years ago and being touched by the death of their daughter, Anna, at the age of only 31 to cancer.
“She was a big Arsenal fan who loved her trips to Highbury and came to regard those during her illness as her special days. So the aim of the Foundation now is to give others in the same position some relief from treatment and worry by giving them an exciting day or night out.
“We became focused on doing something to help the charity, which helps young people aged from 16 to 40, and were thrilled when we realised we had £533 to hand over.
Vince Bartram with the man he considers the nicest he has ever met in football.
“A number of people gave generous amounts well over what I had in mind and I will just mention our good friend, Gwilym Machin, born and bred in Telford but resident for nearly 30 years now in Glasgow. His wife, Morag, was one of the charity’s beneficiaries when she was undergoing a stem cell transplant a decade and a half ago and qualified for a ‘special day’.
“She chose to have a sea plane flight up near Loch Lomond and said how well the charity staff treated them, even putting them up overnight because the weather wasn’t suitable to fly on the original day.
“Knowing of her experience made us even keener to help the Willow Foundation and she and Gwilym were very generous with their support a few weeks ago when they heard we planned to donate something.”
Since being set up in 1999, the charity have helped more than 22,000 seriously ill young adults make magical memories with their loved ones.
And support for them continues to grow. Former Wolves manager Colin Lee, having heard first-hand of the efforts of this website’s co-owner, has entered into dialogue with the man he knows from across the Tottenham-Arsenal divide.
The annual charity event he stages near his Devon home will this year raise funds for the Willow Foundation and we now have a signed colour photo of Bob, given to us by him for handing over. It will be used as a money-raiser at the open mic and three-course-meal evening at the Eastern Eye restaurant in Newton Abbot on Thursday, July 24. Anyone interested in attending should ring 01626-331155 to book places.
Wilson and Bartram both started their careers at Molineux – in the 1960s and 1980s respectively – and were saddened to learn of the recent passing-away of Pierce, who bridged the gap between their time here.
Goalkeeper coach at work. Wilson looks on with Arsene Wenger and a seated David Seaman as Bartram patrols his area.
As the three of us were together, the 1974 League Cup final’s funeral in Bury was being attended by seven of his former Wolves team-mates, namely John Richards, Steve Daley, Geoff Palmer, Mel Eves, Steve Kindon, Norman Bell and Gerry O’Hara.
Wilson was a Wolves amateur before signing for Arsenal while Bartram was with the club from 1986 to 1991, albeit always having to play second fiddle to more experienced keepers. He moved on to Bournemouth, Arsenal and Gillingham, totalling well over 300 games during his stays at the lower-division duo.
And we are delighted to hear how well connected Bob still is at 83. In the hours leading up to our arrival at his door, he had spoken to both Pat Jennings and his former Gunners room-mate, Bobby Gould, both of whom celebrated birthdays on the day of our visit.