Colleagues remember Ged Mahon

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Big-hearted London Midland staff held a fund raiser for Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice just before Christmas.

Former colleague Ged Mahon was looked after at the Selly Park hospice. The fundraiser was held at Our Lady of Lourdes Club in Yardley Wood. Ged Mahon, a London Midland train technician, died of cancer aged just 48. The care provided touched Ged’s friend and colleague Bob Glover, inspiring him to start organising fundraising events in support of the hospice.

Says Bob, a fellow technician who worked alongside Ged for nearly a decade at London Midland’s Tyseley depot, ‘I went to see Ged a few times at St Mary’s and saw what an amazing job the staff did for him. They were so accommodating to everyone who visited and created such a nice atmosphere for him. I think it helped Ged and his family a lot.

‘He was kept as happy as he could have been. The events are to raise money for Birmingham St Mary’s but also to keep Ged’s memory alive. He was great on the shop floor, he loved a joke and was as popular at work as he was outside it. We miss him.’

Bob’s charitable efforts have seen him gain national recognition after he was named a finalist for the Rail Person of the Year at the RailStaff Awards 2012. Says Bob, ‘I was really surprised and honoured to be nominated. It was nice but the fundraisers are not about me, they are about Ged and Birmingham St Mary’s.’

Held for the first time in December 2009, the event has grown year-on-year to become a fixture in the calendar at the depot. Staff efforts have raised thousands of pounds for

Birmingham St Mary’s, through admission fees and items donated by football clubs, businesses and celebrities such as darts champion, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor.

Says Ged’s widow, Elizabeth, ‘Gerard loved Bob and had great respect for him as a friend and a colleague. He would feel most humble that this charity night is held in his name. He would have loved to be there as Gerard loved a good party! It has been fantastic to see how much they have raised each year. Bob, his friends and colleagues work very hard over the year to make the evenings a success. I admire them very much.’

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