A Manchester City fan has got a tattoo of bitter rivals United after raising £10,000 in sponsorship to help his sick son.
Staunch Blue Mark Pinder, from Accrington, pledged to get the inking if he met his fundraising target.
He raised the cash in honour of his son Kirk, who suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy – an incurable condition that eats away at the body’s muscles.
The 12-year-old Broadfield Specialist School pupil is confined to a wheelchair, cannot lift his arms and will soon have to have steel rods inserted into his spine to keep it straight.
The condition also reduces life expectancy.
Mark, 38, said: “All you can do is watch your child deteriorate in front of you.
“When he was diagnosed I buried my head in the sand for a couple of years, but I thought it was about time I did something.”
City helped him raise some of the money by auctioning off a glove signed by Ricky Hatton and also a book with the boxer’s autograph.
Full-time carer Mark, who is donating all the money to charity Duchenne Now, said: “I’m buzzing now I’ve done it.”
The dad-of-one has been a committed Blues supporter since he was 14 and he already has the club’s crest tattooed onto his arm.
Now he’s also got the United badge inked onto his leg too.
The tattoo was done at S.T.ink in Bury by tattooist Steve Thompson who offered to do it for free in support of Mark’s cause.
Mark added: “I’m quite happy with the tattoo now because it’s a good memory to remind me of all the money I raised. Although I thought it would be a big thing before, I’m not bothered about it now.”
The former Mount Carmel High School pupil added that it is not just the tattoo that he will be left with now the fundraising is over, but also the memories.
He said: “I’m so proud to have made £10,000 and I’ve loved the whole fundraising experience. It’s been crazy to see how the community rallied together and it was humbling for people who don’t know me to take an interest and donate to the cause. It’s been fantastic and the support I have had off people has been brilliant. The whole process has also helped raise awareness and inform people about the condition which is what I set out to do.”
Visit www.justgiving.com/Mark-Pinder7/ .
