Judy’s unforgettable journey to Melwood and Anfield

Giving By Justina Saveikytė Jun 17, 2019
A day where dreams came true.

As a football fan, nothing can probably make you prouder than witnessing that moment of victory when your favourite player is handed the Premier League Golden Boot! I can still smell the fresh grass in that same spot where Mo Salah raised that trophy up in the famous Anfield Stadium. I felt as if Iwas there with the supporters cheering and rejoicing as my brain was rich with different sensations stored in the special memories area called Anfield Stadium Tour.

This amazing trip to Liverpool wouldn’t have happened without that email from Breaking Barriers which invited me to this unprecedented event! By accepting the invitation my journey to Liverpool had begun. At Euston Station we gathered on the 24th of April and with Breaking Barriers and Western Union you’ll never walk Alone! Despite the lack of sleep, we had the previous night due to excitement, we exchanged morning greeting at 6:30AM craving for the day. Liverpool, we are coming!

After a yummy breakfast and lovely time spent on the train, we arrived at Melwood training Ground in the west Derby Area of Liverpool. And with the warm welcome from Western Union we headed impatiently towards the pitches where we waited for the celebrities to show up. Just on time, we found ourselves in the presence of our champions looking at their very eyes and shaking their hands. And how the pictures and selfies looked like? Well They tasted like sweet dreams when they come true. These minutes were indescribable, we even had the chance to watch the training session with the journalists and media. We kept shiny smiles on our faces and had the chance to ride on the luxurious players coach to the red monument. To our surprise, a lovely feast was waiting for us at the Western Union Lounge at Anfield stadium.

After lunch, we had a different time of amusement, a beneficial one. We enjoyed our afternoon time building new skills in the ‘Elevator Pitch’ workshop hosted by Western Union. This workshop was based on how to sell ourselves in the job market; in particular, how can somebody concisely give a personal statement about their background and what they have to offer in a professional yet creative way in order to capture interest. This was explained through various techniques that were well prepared by Western Union to make them easy for us to apply. With Western Union, when you learn, you win and gain; I won the post workshop prize, a signed LFC Jersey!

I grabbed the piece of chocolate donut from the afternoon tea break which was too delicious to be left be hind and followed the tour guide wandering in the different parts of Anfield. We visited the new dressing rooms both the Away Team Dressing Room and Home Team Dressing Room where the Reds prepare for the big game. We eventually walked on the green grass and had a look at the 54,000 spectators capacity stadium. We were amazed by this newly expanded venue covered in red. We had the opportunity to experience the substitute bench and to take many photos there. In fact, every corner of that place was worth to take a photo of, that’s why I ended up with hundreds and if you ask me about my favourite, I will definitely say the Press Room where interviews and conferences take place. I felt like a star when I took my selfie there.

My story has reached its end, but this day will never die for me as it turned out to be a well sculptured piece of art on my memory walls anytime welcoming my visit and recall. Thanks to Breaking Barriers and Western Union I had such a nice experience to tell and write about and I hope more opportunities like this arise during their cooperation to benefit many more refugees both personally and professionally.