Family pledge to make father's dying wish come true - a song at Pride Park

WHEN Patrick Reynolds was diagnosed with cancer in his early 40s and given just three years to live, he made the difficult decision not to tell his two children.

It was just three weeks before he finally lost his battle with mesothelioma that son Lenny, 16, and daughter Katy, 12, were told about their father's condition.

His last days were spent at his bedside, talking, crying, laughing and watching his beloved Derby County play on television.

And it was then that Patrick told his family of his final, dying wish – for the song he recorded with his band Syndrome to be played before a Rams match.

Today Lenny, who now has two children of his own, is honouring his father's memory by trying to make that wish come true.

The 31-year-old said: "I know exactly why Dad decided not to tell us he was dying – we were just kids and he wanted us to be able to enjoy our childhood without worrying about him.

"Those last weeks gave us enough time to talk and say everything we needed to say to him and I'm so glad about that.

"He told us about his wish for his song to be played and now that I'm a bit older, and the anniversary of his death is coming up, I thought this seemed like the right time to do something about it."

It was while working in power stations in his early 20s that Patrick was exposed to the asbestos fibres which brought on the mesothelioma in later life.

He later went on to own double glazing company City Windows, in Macklin Street, Derby and his death in 1994, at the age of just 44, was a devastating blow to his close-knit family, as well as the hundreds of friends who turned up to his funeral.

Patrick, his wife, Jane, now 53, and their children would regularly attend Derby County matches, travelling across the country to watch the team play.

Lenny, of Ockbrook, vividly remembers the track his father recorded with Syndrome and said it had become a family anthem.

As a semi-professional singer, Patrick would sell copies of the record at gigs throughout Derby, with independent record shops in the city also stocking copies.

Lenny said: "I was about seven or eight when the record came out. I've been on the Derby County forum and quite a few people have said they still have a copy in their loft or garage."

Now Lenny, who still attends every Derby County game with his wife Joanne, 34, and children Sky, seven, and Archie, five, has written to Derby County president and chief executive Tom Glick to ask if he will consider playing We Will Follow You before a game.

He said: "It would mean so much to my family if we could make this happen. My first memory is of going to Derby County games at the Baseball Ground.

"My dad didn't drink, so our thing to do as a family was to go to the football together.

"I recently got a Derby County tattoo which reminds me of dad but to make his dying wish come true would be amazing."

Listen to We Will Follow You by clicking here.