Name: Emily
Age: 33
Nationality: White British
Status: Married
Occupation: Freelance Writer, Artist, Photographer – Previously a Youth Worker.
Motivation: Villa Fan creatively driven to capture the essence of what being loyal to the Claret and Blue really is about.
Photography Portfolio: www.emilyscamera.co.uk
Best Villa Memory: I remember being maybe 12/13 and meeting Lee Hendrie. Shell-shocked I couldn’t even speak to him, I cried, I did all things that a little teenage girl would do back then. I met my hero and to this day I still have the signed shirt, framed and mounted at the top of my stairs.
I’m pretty sure my husband gets a little jealous when I mention Lee is commentating or doing an interview, as I still light up!
I have met all sorts of people at Villa Park over the years, and not once have any of these encounters been unpleasant.
For a short while I worked for Aston Villa Foundation as part of their Playing for Success programme.
Once a week I would park outside the Doug Ellis Stand and head up the stairs to mentor kids and assist with their learning. They would get a stadium tour and match tickets at the end of their involvement with their programme.
It was awesome, any Villa fans dream to actually be working within Villa Park and get to be behind the scenes every so often, with kids experiencing life as a player on match day for the first time.
Despite not living in Birmingham for many many years, anytime I get to the Villa for a game which is now more often than ever, it feels like coming home, that’s where my roots are and I know there are many of us out there that feel the same.
