Week Ending – Fred Done’s bucket list and Fiscal Cliff’s return
VETERAN bookie Fred Done was on good form on Wednesday night at the launch of Active Win – the digital marketing business he’s backed – and despite being in his eighth decade he shows no signs of slowing down ….if anything he’s on a quest for immortality.
Chatting after dinner with long-time PR adviser and friend Chris Bird and Brian Small – finance director at JD Sports Fashion – conversation turned to ‘bucket lists’ – things you want to do before you kick the proverbial bucket.
While Bird’s is to run a marathon, and Small’s is to indulge his passion for motorsport, Fred revealed a fascination with bio-medical research and stem-cell science in particular, prompting speculation that he may be on a quest for immortalilty – surely no bad thing for the region’s economy.
“It fascinates me, and will benefit so many people – I really believe it’s got legs,” he said.
Inevitably, after Sunday’s Manchester derby match (no gloating I promise), conversation soon turned to football, and Fred, who was 70 in March and who has supported Manchester United since the age of seven, said he is considering giving up his seats at Old Trafford.
He explained: “I am just a bit fed up with it – the food and the service isn’t great – and while the club will always be in my heart, I am a bit disillusioned.”
Having eschewed a United home game against traditional rivals Liverpool to attend the Active Win launch, with a twinkle in his eye he revealed a surprising fondness for Liverpool fans.
“Every year they pay for my holiday – my suite and first class travel – I love them. I say every year ‘come and have a bet with me – and for half an hour I widen the odds from 12 to 66, and they just pile in, they can’t help themselves!”
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He first reared his head 18 months ago, and then vanished from view, but it looks like he’s making a return.
Yes, Fiscal Cliff looks like he is going to be back in the headlines, at least until the Republicans and Democrats hammer out a deal on the US’s multi-trillion debt ceiling.
For the sake of global economic stability let’s hope Cliff’s autumn 2013 comeback is short-lived.
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HOT on the heels of the Road to Recovery mission – which saw nine intrepid riders led by NCC’s Rob Cotton take on a daunting Alpine cycling trip to raise money for the Christie cancer charity – next week will see another gaggle of North West business leaders stepping outside their comfort zones.
Proving they are game for a laugh, literally, Urban Splash chief Tom Bloxham, Deloitte’s Sharon Thorne, Christie boss Caroline Shaw, David Pollock from Chess are starring in the Funny Business stand-up event on Wednesday night at the Comedy Store in Manchester.
Tickets remain for the event, and can be bought at http://funnybusinessnw.co.uk and the sponsorship link is http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/funnybusinessnw
