Playing Our Part By Helping The Penders

A heartfelt message from Wolves Heroes creator and co-owner David Instone:

“When I started to pre-publicise my latest book, A Wolves 1970s Scrapbook, I made it clear what the extra aims were this time.

As the compilation and research had been early-lockdown activities – carried out at a time when we were all touched by Captain Tom Moore, clapping for carers and all that – I stressed that it was largely a charity project.

In my mind was a desire to support some good causes, particularly those close to the NHS, so all the advertising literature has clearly stated that 75 per cent of our profits would be given away. There was, therefore, a major incentive to make this a success.

Happily, thanks to the backing of some very loyal customers and plenty of new ones, we at Thomas Publications are already well past the figure at which we can start to help.

Without hesitation, our first offering is to John Pender and his family after the awful recent disclosure that he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

We are donating 100 copies of A Wolves 1970s Scrapbook to them and are confident that this will translate, before Christmas, into £1,700 to sit alongside the Crowdfunding to John Pender’s quality of life on JustGiving money-raising effort.

Indeed, before the author-signed books are even handed over later today for John to add his autograph to, members of the family tell us that ten have already been sold. Brilliant!

This is just the sort of cause we are delighted to support. We are talking here of a man who played 129 games for the club and hundreds more elsewhere and who now finds himself needing specialist care at his adapted home in Telford.

In other words, he needs the assistance of the Wolves and wider football families.

We will either add to this story or provide an update on the book push in another feature in the near future and have promised to underpin the donation with any practical help or advice we can give.

And it’s heart-warming to read that the family have already flown past their £10,000 target on Just Giving by reaching £15,000.

As Paul Berry highlighted in his outstanding write-ups in the Express & Star, on the Wolves’ official website and in the programme for last week’s game against Burnley, Wolves Former Players Association have been well to the fore with a £1,000 donation.

In addition to keeping our readers informed, we at Thomas Publications look forward to making other donations elsewhere from the proceeds of A Wolves 1970s Scrapbook.”