I did say the Love Barrow Awards inbox was bulging, so here’s another nomination to tell you about, this time for the Citizen of the Year category – Mike Gough.
Mike, off his own back, organised and pulled off an amazing charity event in memory of Joseph Andrews. Barrow teenager Joe was tragically killed in a road traffic accident in August 2013 and his family set about raising funds for the North West Air Ambulance in his memory.
Mike was so inspired by Joe’s parents’ fundraising that he decided to help out.
Mike organised an amazing charity event and raised the profile of NWAA to many thousand people and helped raise thousands for the charity itself and showed what a vital service this is for our area.
“Mike not only has showed determination but showed true love and compassion to the people of Barrow”
“Mike is a true Gentleman and always puts others before himself in a truly unselfish manner.”
Mike pulled together many different people from the Barrow area to work towards helping Gavin & Julie Andrews reach their £19,000 target for NWAA. With only 4 weeks available to organise the huge football event held at Holker St, Mike unselfishly gave up hours and hours of his free time to make sure the event went as planned.
Mike completed all of this despite facing a personal challenge – he has a condition called Fibromyalgia, acondition that gives constant pain and causes fatigue with no known cure. Whilst battling this and organising the charity event, Mike also set up a help group for fellow sufferers which has gone from strength to strength, ensuring other sufferers have a place to go for support.
Amazingly, only one week after the charity football match, he then went on to walk 40 miles in the Keswick to Barrow flying the flag for NWAA, despite carrying injuries from the previous weeks fundraiser at Holker St!
Like many other Love Barrow Award nominees, Mike never asks for credit for what he does and so hopefully this nomination will go some way to acknowledging and thanking Mike for what he has done and achieved.
Well done Mike on your nomination, thoroughly deserved.
Well deserved nomination. Well done Michael.
Nobody deserves this more than mike, such a kind, thoughtful and generous person. Mike kindly supports many local charities through his work and his own time, many times I have seen him donate some of the things he makes from stone to help out others less fortunate, always on the phone or facebook helping others, always the first to offer help in peoples hour of need. Mike will no doubt be embarrassed about being nominated but please for once, accept this as you really do deserve one hell of a pat on the back and as a thank you from the many peope you help. X