Newcastle United fan from South Tyneside gets Kieran Trippier autograph tattoo after St Oswald's Hospice visit

Kieran Trippier left an incredible mark on a fan from South Tyneside during his visit to St Oswald's Hospice- quite literally.

The Newcastle United star was recently announced as an official Charity Ambassador of St Oswald's Hospice Children and Young Adults Service and visited the hospice last month where he met children, young adults, families, staff and volunteers.

Trippier signed pictures and memorabilia for everyone including a Newcastle United and England shirt which are currently being raffled in aid of the hospice.

But the football star also got an unusual request during his visit from 24-year-old Ewan Barry from Jarrow, who asked Trippier to sign his arm so that he could get it tattooed as a permanent reminder of their meeting.

Ewan, who has been attending monthly short breaks at St Oswald's since 2011, has Friedrich Ataxia, a rare inherited disease that causes progressive damage to the nervous system. The condition affects Ewan's mobility and speech.

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While at the hospice, Ewan loves to catch up with friends and play Xbox in the dedicated Young Adults Lounge, which caters to those aged 18 to 25, but his first love is football, which he describes as his “second life”.

Ewan has been a season ticket holder at his beloved Newcastle United for the past 12 years and attends every home game with his dad and two brothers. “Going to the matches makes my weekend!” Ewan said.

The life-long fan got a Newcastle United-themed tattoo on his shoulder in January 2023 and when he found out he was going to meet Kieran, he devised a plan to add to the artwork.

Ewan admits the Newcastle United and England star was initially reluctant to sign his arm when he told him he wanted to turn it into an everlasting memento. He explained: “Kieran kept asking me, ‘Are you sure? I kept saying, ‘Yes, definitely!’ Once he knew I was serious, he was happy to do it.”

Just minutes after the footballer left St Oswald’s Hospice, Ewan made his way to a local tattoo artist.

The 24-year-old thinks his new tattoo could also be a good luck charm for his team, who have enjoyed some good results ever since.

Holly Smith, Acting Matron at St Oswald’s Hospice Children and Young Adults Service, said: “When I heard Ewan was planning to ask Kieran to sign his arm so he could get it as a tattoo, I wasn’t sure if the Newcastle United player would do it. I hear Kieran was a bit surprised by the request at first but the resulting tattoo is amazing.

“Ewan is a huge football fan and is always talking about Newcastle United. If there’s a match on while he’s at the hospice, his dad will either pick him up to take him to St James’ Park. Or, if it’s an away match, we’ll take Ewan to the pub to watch them play.

“The fact that he now has a permanent reminder of meeting his hero is fantastic. Ewan loves his new tattoo and has been showing it to everyone at the hospice.”

To celebrate the announcement of Kieran Trippier as an official Charity Ambassador of St Oswald’s Hospice Children and Young Adults Service, the hospice is raffling two football shirts worn and signed by the Newcastle United and England footballer.

For just £1 per ticket, you can win one of the two football shirts but time is running out as the closing date is midnight on Sunday 25th February.

One shirt is a Newcastle United Premier League 2023/24 season shirt, worn during the Newcastle v Manchester City home game at St. James’ Park on Saturday 13th January 2024. The other is an England shirt, which Kieran wore in the 150th Anniversary Heritage Friendly Match against Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday 12th September 2023. Both shirts have been signed by Kieran.

These collectors’ items will make the perfect gift for a Newcastle United or England football fan.

To buy your tickets, please visit https://www.stoswaldsuk.org/kieran-trippier-

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