A great grandmother from London was left speechless after staff at her care home arranged a surprise meeting with her musical hero, Michael Ball.
Michael sat chatting with Pat and posed for several photographs.
Pat Moores, a resident at Bupa Elmstead care home in Chislehurst, South East London, has been a huge fan of the singer after first seeing him in Les Misérables in 1985, and has been to see him more than ten times since. Now aged 86, she had given up on her dream of ever meeting him.
However, thanks to a campaign from colleagues Pat’s care home, she finally got the chance to meet him, and make her dream a reality.
“We run a wish granting programme for residents – if a there’s something they’ve always wanted to do, we do everything we can to make it happen,” Sally-Anne Taylor, Receptionist at Bupa Elmstead care home explained. “It was no surprise when we heard Pat wished to meet Michael Ball. Everyone here knows that she’s a super-fan – just mention his name and she’ll start grinning!”
Pat had given up on her dream, but her care home staff made it come true
After weeks of working to contact Michael, care home receptionist Sally-Anne Taylor finally heard back after writing into his show on BBC Radio 2. As he was starring in Chess, the West End musical, he wasn’t able to make the trip to visit Pat but sent a personal video message and a signed copy of his album.
Seeing how delighted her mother was by the response, Pat’s daughter, Allison, booked tickets for herself and Pat so that she could see him on the stage once more. Sally got back in touch with his team and managed to arrange a surprise meet and greet after the show.
Michael greeted Pat at the stage door before presenting her with a red rose and a kiss.
Pat then also had the opportunity to meet and have photos with some of his co-stars, including Alexandra Burke.
“I didn’t think I’d ever get to meet Michael,” Pat said. “I’ve always loved his voice and his music, and it was actually quite overwhelming to finally meet him. He’s kind, charming and has lovely smile. It’s something I’ll never forget, and I’m so grateful for everyone at Bupa for setting it up – it still makes me smile just thinking about it.”
As well as the wish granting scheme, colleagues at Bupa Elmstead hold regular events for residents including a recent World Cup celebration and a snooker competition.
“I’m so proud of my team,” Emma Staples, Home Manager at Bupa Elmstead care home added. “A lot of work went into setting this up, but Pat’s still beaming from ear to ear, which makes it all worth it. It goes to show that being in a care home shouldn’t stop you from living your dreams.”
