My name is Stuart Alves, MBE, but Wolves Blog readers might know me better as StuWolf.
Like all of you, I’m a massive Wolves fan. My wife Jenny and I are season ticket holders and regularly attend away games and U21’s matches.
In January I joined the Wolves Disabled Supporters Association (DSA) as an able bodied member to try and improve conditions and human rights for our Disabled fans – both at Molineux and when visiting away grounds.
This is a cause I feel passionate about and well qualified to support following 33 years with the Staffordshire Emergency Ambulance Service.
I also ran a very successful Charity from 1999 until 2013 after being asked to take part in a Government project to assist the former Yugoslavia in Sarajevo during the first ever Bosnian conflict at the request of the then Prime minister John Major.
My charity has since donated and delivered some £8.5 million of Humanitarian aid in the form of Ambulances, Hospital equipment and medical supplies to the peoples of Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Nigeria and Ukraine. This, in case you were wondering, is why I was awarded my MBE.
Anyway, that’s my potted history. Back to the matter at hand…
Last year I made a decision that I wanted to cycle from Lands End to John O’Groats, so this year on July 24th and over a period of 14 days, I’m going to do just that, raising money for the Wolves Disabled Supporters Association (DSA).
This will entail cycling an average of 70 – 80 miles per day and a distance of around 1020 miles in total. As a 63 year old supporter with a very fragile heart (from being a Wolves fan) this is no easy task, but it’s a long time personal goal and a great opportunity to raise funds for a wonderful cause.
My hope is that the money will help the DSA establish their Association, gain a better quality of life and enjoy a more comfortable viewing experience at our beloved Molineux.
I am asking all Wolves management, players, staff and fans near and far to find it within their hearts to think of our disabled supporters who like all of us enjoy attending games, but who often have to suffer harsh and uncomfortable conditions.
The Wolves Disabled Supporters Association and the fans Parliament are working alongside Wolves FC to see what can be done. From experience, I know more could be done if we could find funding.
As part of my medical teaching role I was fortunate enough to work with the Porto FC Doctor at the Man Utd European Qualifying game a few years back, when I saw the luxurious conditions afforded to their disabled fans. It left me speechless, but that experience has only made me more determined to help our guys & girls with basic Human rights.
Please I beg you, if you can find it in your hearts, help me support these wonderful fans of ours. Our big claim to fame is “that we are a family club”, I have seen such generosity from Wolves supporters over the years for numerous causes, there surely can be no better cause than this one.
And that means all of us, able bodied or disabled alike we all share the same passion – The Wolves. It’s just that some of us have had to endure hardships able bodied fans cannot comprehend just to watch a game.
Thank you in anticipation, we’ll be setting up forms for sponsorship (ask me in the comments if you’d like to help collecting) or you can simply send donations directly to the Wolves Disabled Supporters Association.
Yours Sincerely
Stuart Alves, MBE
Wolves Fan since Autumn 1961
Come on folks, this is a no brainer.
Disabled, and Wolves fans?
All the joking and piss taking and bitching we do, in the name of Wolves, and denigration of other teams, just pales into insignificance compared to having a disability, no matter what form it may take.
We are the lucky ones, with all our limbs, faculties and brain cells intact, and we get to choose when to watch, where to sit etc, etc ,etc.
All true Wolves supporters will get out their cheque books, wallets, and piggy banks to help our fellow fans.
Stuart, I will give you my donation on Saturday, with the greatest of pleasure.
See you soon.
That’s the Clive I know,
Cheers buddy
🙂
Mate.. very impressive.. I’m more worried about your heart..(So’s Mrs Alves..- you use it as an excuse apparantly) you have my support obviously..
Thanks Steve,
Anything at all in support of these guys is welcome. Ideas, help, encouragement, support obviously.
See you Saturday, did you get my reply about the parking.
🙂
Hoping Wolves retweet for you to get a little more coverage Stu mate!
Thanks buddy, brilliant, was promised a photowith Kenny , MacDonald and Batth, still friggin waiting. Gonna phone themagain tomorrow and push it, if it were a sponsor it would be done and dusted, cause it’s disabled persons it’s hurry up and wait.
Thanks again Buddy
Errrm… Just read my Tweet… Appeal twice in the same sentence… Very Appealing!
Hi stu wolves .
Firstly , well done to you . You should be very proud . You should also look after yourself tho !!
You could just swim a width of the baths and we d give money to a fellow supporter who wants to do good !
I will make a donation , can I ask how the money raised works .. Ie .. Is it like a campaign fund or some thing . I can’t help but think that wolves should just fix this thing . They are wealthy .
You have my support though , I am just asking the question .
London Wolves Loyal.
Firstly thank you for the kind words, I know Wolves fans are truly amazing when it’s for good causes.
The DSA was set up as an Association, this IMO limits their work, they meet regularly like the fans Parliament and one of the Wolves representatives attends. He’s a great guy and genuinely cares….. Wait for it, his poor wife has recently been diagnosed with the big C and as you can appreciate his mind at the moment is pretty much fecked up.
I have suggested to the DSA that they become a Charity, believe it or not there are 200 registered disabled supporters who support Wolves, recently Wolves provided them with a bus to attend the Derby away match if memory serves me welll and it was a major success.
At the next meeting on Wednesday they plan to put in motion registering for Charity status, I can assist with this, but also they want to set out their direction, please understand as a group they are relatively new. One thing they all want is their own coach to help fans travel to away games which they currently do by car, van, disabled vehicles even by train, how loyal is that. Taking the train with a wheelchair to a football match, wow.
So in answer to your question, I can probably tell you more after Wednesdays meeting and in the future.
I don’t want anyones money yet, the ride takes place the last week of July first week of August so we have time, but brininging it to peoples attention is paramount.
More news to follow.
StuWolf
Thanks for the info . I will look out for any future minutes at parliament etc .
200 disabled fans is a lot of people .
Well done for getting involved
I always thought you were a good guy. Well done fella. With your permission I would like to drive this initiative/venture forward and see (hopefully) if I can obtain donations from some of the military guys here in Catterick. If/when you receive sponsor forms please consider e-mailing me, you have my addy but just in case it is stevelbiles@hotmail.com. I will certainly support this mate, you have my respect.
I am interested in what comes off the back of this and what support you get from the Wolves itself.
See you Saturday pal.
C u Saturday buddy, we can talk in depth there.
Thanks for the promotion stuff.
🙂
Steve,
Just had a call from Wolves this morning, i’m meeting the press guy and a couple of players on Thursday Midday, gonna get a photo and he will try and upload info and photo to the Official Wolves site.
If we get a good photo, Thomas said he will post it up on ou site, hopefully take the one down and put one of the players up.
They don’t know it yet but I’m gonna take along someone in a wheelchair from the DSA.
Whilst writing this they called again, must be Irish, (to be sure, tobe sure)
Happy days mate.
🙂
You will have to tell the person you plan on taking quite soon mate, as they have a long way to go in their chair so will need to purchase a few sets of gloves!!!
Respect mate!
Or should I say:- Respect Mate MBE.
You kept that pretty quiet.
I would be proud to raid the PMDG’ers piggy bank and make a donation for such a worthy cause.
I hasten to add that I am glad that you are going the hard way.
My donation would have been markedly less if you had gone from John O’Groats to Land’s End because that, of course, would have been downhill and much easier.
Good on you for thinking about the disabled Wolves fans – and even gooder on you for taking the time and effort to do something about it.
“Out of darkness cometh light”.
Thank you Doogooder,
Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday, couldn’t waste the opportunity of a get together to promote the initative.
🙂
Stuart – I wish you all the best in your challenge and will be more than happy to make a donation. Just tell me how and when.
Thank you buddy, will post details as they are ready.
Thanks again.
StuWolf
Looking forward to seeing you at the PV Stu so will make a donation then. I live down in Devon so may be able to give you a wave as you wizz by.
I don’t know about wizzing by, might be asking for a push already.
🙂
Well done Stuart at least your fragile heart is definetly in the right place mate ! Will make a donation.
Thanks Colin,
I have Sponsor forms now so I can get one to you through your e-mail route if thats ok.
Off to see Kenny & MacDonald this morning midday ish, so should get a bit more publicity by then.
Stu
🙂
Send me one too Stu, so I can get working on the squaddies to get their hands in their pockets.
Hiya Stuey.. great work that you’re doing .. Will make a donation when we get back … let us know how best done etc …
I will shout for you on Saturday mate. Hope you are having a great time down there. See you next season.
Cheers lads … make sure C f H gets you a drink on Sat too …
Thanks Twixfix,
Enjoy the break and get back for the playoffs and Wembeley.
🙂
Stu,
Not got your email mate. Can you send again to: stevelbiles@hotmail.com. If it doesn’t come through I can always get one from you tomorrow mate.
Needless to say, you have my support, thanks and money. I am one of “the Molineux 200”, so I might benefit indirectly from your mighty bike ride.
Hope to see you tomorrow, I will be in touch.
Jerryd,
Got your email mate. I have replied. If you manage to get to A Parkview tomorrow that would be good, and we can chat more then buddy.
My hats off to you mate, best of luck.
Have you thought of setting up a Just Giving page? That lets people donate via PayPal, debit or credit card?
I know I find it dead easy to donate that way & count me in.
Border Wolf,
Thank you so much, we tried Just giving but as we are an association it was very difficult to geton there, it’stheir intentiontobecomea charity soperhaps when that’s sorted we canmove forward faster.
Fingers crossed for that then. It’s a worth while deed.
Stuwolf,
As we missed the play offs, I’ll donate the price of my play off ticket that I don’t need to buy now!
Great cause, a club as proud as ours should do as much as possible to help the disabled supporters.
I’ll follow the link given and donate later in the week.
Those were the days
Whitestone Wolf.
No rush matey, don’t do it until July, but you guys on this blog are amazing. Thank you all for your support, have’nt even done the ride yet but the donations are great so far so thank you all again.
StuWolf
Stuart,
Could you please republish how to make a donation direct?
I went onto the DSA link you provided, but can’t find anything – is it tucked away somewhere?
Cheers, Mate.
Wokingham Welsh Wolf,
Thank you so much for this.
If you e-mail me on my e-mail address I shall send you a copy on return mail.
e-mail:-teamsasha@blueyonder.co.uk
StuWolf