#ufm16

The above photo shows a magical moment taken during Soccer Aid on 5th June of Louis Tomlinson of One Direction with his wonderful mascot, Summer living their football dreams on the pitch at Trafford Park in front of 70,000 people.

This was the 10th anniversary of Soccer Aid initially set up by Robbie Williams and Jonathan Wilkes to host a biannual match of England versus The Rest of The World teams comprising celebrities and footballing legends, raising vital funds for Unicef.

The atmosphere at the match was so positive, highlighting just how brilliantly this game is in bringing strangers together not only to enjoy the sport but to raise money for an excellent cause. The heart of Unicef is to improve children’s lives, which is why the photo of Summer is so important.

I was lucky enough to be in the stand facing the players, whilst they lined up to sing ‘Abide With Me’, with Louis Tomlinson and Summer right in front of me. The lady next to me and I were commenting at the little girl’s absolute happiness the whole time. After the song, the pair went to shake hands with the other players and I noted he kept hold of her hand or his hand was resting on her shoulder all the time. Then they were swinging hands and laughing and waving together. It was such a genuine connection of a few minutes between a global popstar and a little girl.

The full story  is truly heart-warming, and Summer’s mum has kindly agreed that I could share her daughter’s story with you. Summer’s wonderful experience is summed up by her mum’s tweets after the match:

@Louis_Tomlinson – thank you for looking after our daughter Summer tonight. You are a true gent.

@LCFC – thank you for picking my daughter Summer to be a mascot for Soccer Aid. She had a blast!

@JohnBishop100 – my daughter met Pelé too, she was Louis Tomlinson’s mascot #proudparent

To a fan: – She is profoundly deaf and he constantly reassured her and made her feel safe! He is a gem x He constantly held her hand to reassure her! He was so nice x

When I read those tweets, the whole experience I was lucky enough to witness felt so much more special. Summer’s mum had tweeted to Robbie Williams before the match to ask if someone involved could get in touch and learn to say ‘Hi ‘ in British Sign Language to Summer as she is profoundly deaf.

Summer was matched with Louis Tomlinson who had learned British Sign Language so that he could communicate with deaf fans at their concerts and  ‘meet and greets’, as well as for his work with different children’s charities such as The Eden Dora Trust and Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.

Louis said he was achieving a life’s dream to play football in that stadium, but for the few minutes he was with Summer, he put her first. He considered her needs and how to make her feel special, safe, and reassured so that she could fully enjoy her moment in the spotlight living her dream.

It doesn’t matter what your job is in life – whether you are CEO of a global company or a member of one of the most famous bands in the world today, you can always put someone else’s needs and happiness before your own, to enable them to live their dream.

So if someone rings you today asking for extra support or a special request from you, your team, company or in your personal life, remember how much you can enhance their experience.