John’s red card for Rachel House Rev.
 John (48) has taken part in various events at Rachel House. In fact, one of his favourite ways to help the youngsters and get away from the pressures of being a referee is . . . to dress up like a referee!
He said, “Rachel House were having a Dads & Lads weekend, which included a dinner with the teenagers.
“A guy I used to work with now works in Rachel House and he asked if I could do him a favour and speak at the event. I was only too happy, so I spoke about football to the lads and their fathers. Afterwards I fielded questions.
“It was like a sportsman’s dinner. Most of the boys were fanatical football fans and wanted to know what an Old Firm match was like. The dads seemed to enjoy talking to a referee too.
“Most of them were Celtic or Rangers fans, but one lad was a Livingston fan and I had a good chat with him. He goes to all the Livingston home games, so any time I’m refereeing there I go over before the match starts and have a chat with him.
“At the end of the night, the staff asked if I wanted to come back. They were organising a five-a-side match with the Rachel House teenagers.
Great time
“It was for a TV programme about CHAS and they wanted me to ref the match. I went up and we had a great time. The minister at Rachel House is a die-hard Rangers fan, and she wore a Rangers strip that day.
“A few of the lads told me to send her off, so as soon as she came on I showed her the red card!”
John likes to keep updated on our CHAS campaign.
He said, “I read about it every week in The Sunday Post. It’s a cause I’m very interested in. I’m asked to do a lot of testimonial and charity matches.
“And at the end of every match, I donate the money either to a cot death charity or CHAS.”
John delighted the staff at Rachel House with pictures from his European travels. He said, “I showed pictures of the times I was refereeing in Hungary.
“We were warned that the fans of the club, Ferencvaros, were a bit wild. Officials there showed us pictures of the weapons that had been confiscated at the turnstiles.
“There was the usual collection of knives and a big machete.
“But the oddest thing was a ship’s anchor!”
John visited Rachel House after his refereeing turn and was impressed by the staff. That’s why he went back with his wife to visit.
“Showing the people there some pictures and chatting with them was a great pleasure, because they do a magnificent job. Visiting is a humbling experience. They do everything they can to make you feel a part of the family and deserve all the praise they get.”
The referee is more than happy to do more events for CHAS.
He added, “They can give me a call any time. It’s for a great cause and if people think refereeing an Old Firm match is brave, then they should look at the staff and residents of Rachel House.” |
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John talked football — and showed how to flourish the dreaded red card — to, from left, David Chilton, Graeme Jackson, Samuel Bell, Johnny Ainslie and Darren Mulligan at Rachel House
