Over 500 families will benefit from free meals this year thanks to Stockport County fan, Matthew Lee.
Matt has teamed up with Stockport Foodbank and local company, Together, to provide meals for individuals and families in need of help during these difficult times.
Matt knows what it’s like to struggle. He was born three months premature with complications including oxygen starvation, he was also born with cerebral Palsy which affects the left side of his body, resulting in a limp and poor balance.
Matt recalls “My family told me the early prognosis was grim with my parents told I would never walk. Not happy with this they got a second opinion at St Mary’s Children’s Hospital in Manchester where a Doctor called David Markham informed my parents that with a number of operations, physio and hydrotherapy he could get me walking again but it would not be guaranteed of easy.
The strain of this put considerable pressure on my parents and resulted in their separation and from that point my Dad brought me up”
Matt’s operations and procedures started when he was just four and at one point he was put into a ‘frog plaster’ for ten months. This meant being in plaster from his waist to his toes with a bar across his feet to keep his legs apart.
Matt remembers “While this was good for my hip it obviously drastically reduced my mobility. So my Dad built me a skateboard so I could get around the house using my arms to pull and push myself around. There was no such thing as lightweight plaster then and I ended up with arms like Anthony Joshua”
Despite his disability, Matt enjoyed his school days and his Dad ensured that he wasn’t left out from any of the physical activities.
“I always came last in the egg and spoon race but was also guaranteed the biggest cheer of the day when I finished. I would often fall over because of my poor balance but my Dad always taught me to get up and dust myself down as there are plenty of people worse off. He also encouraged me to try and help those that were worse off. I was taught from a very early age to stay focussed and believe in my abilities to achieve my goals but also to try and give something back to the people around me”
Matt’s Dad was a keen footballer, he even had trials with Derby County and this is where Matt’s interest in football started.
He said “I obviously couldn’t become a footballer but when asked by a careers officer at school what I wanted to do I said work at a football club. At college, the careers officer asked me the same question, I gave the same answer and she told me she knew County’s commercial manager John Rutter. John got me a work experience placement with the club’s community officer Dave Ryan and during my placement a member of John’s staff fell ill so I was asked to help the commercial office which included the lottery and shop in those days”
This was just the break Matt needed and he became County’s first ever YTS trainee working on the lottery. His hard work which included canvassing for new members every evening and collecting rounds gave him a thorough understanding of how the lottery worked and he earned a full-time position. The arrival of the National Lottery brought challenges, but rather than give up Matt persuaded the country to give him a go running the lottery, as the previous manager had left.
He recalls “With the support of Brendan Elwood, Steve Bellis and Gary Glendenning I was promoted to Head of Lotteries, a position I had dreamed of”
Under his tenure and helped by the club’s on field success the lottery was soon contributing around £250k a year to the club as well as making money for associated charities including NHS charities and Buxton Opera House. Overall, Matt is proud to say that in total over £5million was raised with the club as the main beneficiary but many others benefitting from the lottery.
“Stockport County gave me an incredible opportunity in life and if felt good to be able to play a part helping the club and others in need” said Matt.
Matt went on to run successful lotteries at other clubs but in 2018 following medical advice he decided on a career change, buying his local chip shop in Heaton Moor. It’s not any old chip shop mind, the Seashell is one of the oldest chippys in the world, dating back to the 1880’s and there is a chance it could turn out to be THE oldest.
As with the lottery Matt has drastically improved the fortunes of the Seashell broadening the menu to include Vegan and Vegetarian offerings and extending the opening hours. He has used the pandemic as an opportunity to help others providing employment opportunities and now teaming up to deliver free meals to families in need.
“With the help of my fantastic staff and friends I am in a position to help in a small way by providing these meals. I am also deeply grateful for the support of Together and Stockport Foodbank for helping me to make this happen. They are the real heroes. I hope I can grow this initiative and be able to offer even more free meals next year. It’s just nice to be able to give something back, especially to people who may be socially isolated or in financial difficulty”
Matt also has high hopes for his beloved County “I will always be grateful to Stockport County FC for giving me my chance in life. I’m hopeful with Mark Stott’s guidance and input it will allow the football club to continue the fantastic work Richard Park and his co-directors started when they took over the running of this wonderful club and continue the mission for self-sufficiency and stability both on and off the field of play, I’m sure with all our wonderful support there would be no reason in years to come why we couldn’t reach the Premier League”.
Matt also gives County fans 25% discount on production of season tickets or match tickets.
He is certainly deserving of the title ‘County Hero’ and to recognise Matt’s generosity, we are featuring his chip shop, Seashell, as our virtual match sponsor this Saturday, during our home game against Maidenhead.
The Garam Massala restaurant, based in Cheadle Hulme, are also kindly donating a meal for two voucher to each County Hero for when they re-open.
