Campaign launched for cancer-battling grandad to meet wrestling hero

Tommy Fletcher touched the hearts of people across Hartlepool in December, when he tied the knot with lifelong sweetheart Jacky Wilkinson,

The couple had been together for 25 years but have never managed to get the money together to get married, until Hartlepool charity Miles for Men and Walk for Women stepped in.

Now the organisation is hoping to make Tommy’s dream to meet WWE star Daniel Bryan a reality.

The wrestler - famous for his rallying cry of ‘Yes, yes, yes’ - will be at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle next Thursday, as part of the WWE Smack Down tour.

Tommy, 49, beat the disease once before in 2015, but has since been told the chemotherapy used to treat the stomach and bowel cancer is not working. He has now been admitted to Alice House Hospice.

Miles for Men has bought Tommy tickets for the night - and now a social media campaign has been launched to see if he can meet Daniel, with supporters urged to Tweet #wwefortommy to show their support and bring his wish to the attention of his hero.

“The team visit Tommy each week and when we found out he was a huge WWE fan, we decided to pay for the WWE network so he could watch to his heart’s content,” said organiser Steve Picton.

“All we want is for him to get a picture with Daniel Bryan. It is just a matter of reaching out to somebody for help.

“This is his last wish.”

Tommy, 49, was delighted to discover he would be going to Thursday night’s show.

“I was ecstatic,” he said.

“I love wrestling - I have been a fan ever since I was a child.

“I was over the moon when Ste told me I was going.”

Daniel Bryan and The Undertaker are Tommy’s two wrestling favourites and he is in no doubt about what he loves about Bryan.

“It is his tenacity,” he said.

“He is only about 4ft 7ins, but he will take on the world,” he said.

“His determination is incredible - he has just come back from a three-year injury lay-off.”

Tommy is extremely grateful for the support he and Jacky have received from Miles for Men: “They are absolutely awesome,” he said.

“They are unbelievable. They are always there for you.”