John McGuinness visits racing fans at island hospice ahead of Isle of Man TT

TT rider John McGuinness paid a visit to Hospice Isle of Man to surprise a couple of TT fans ahead of the races.

Graham Whittaker and Ian Gardener spent some time chatting with the TT legend, before having their pictures taken with the man himself.

The pair have become 'firm friends' with the nurses at the hospice, 'providing them with jokes and laughter daily' and 'have been excited all week' for McGuinness to visit.

It was particularly special for Graham, who used to take photos during the TT races.

In a post on Facebook, Hospice Isle of Man said: "Today, we helped make our patients wishes come true…

"We are incredibly grateful to John McGuinness who took time out of his busy Isle of Man TT Races schedule to come and meet with Mr Graham Whittaker and Mr Ian Gardner who are both currently patients on our in-patient unit.

"Graham and Ian have both been with us for a few weeks now and have managed to become firm friends of our nurses, providing them with jokes and laughter daily.

"They have both been excited all week for John to pay them a visit, with Graham even putting on his favourite cologne ahead of John popping by!"

The post contiunues: "When asked if he would like a posed photo with John, Graham immediately stood up. Something which he has been unable to do recently without his walker.

"Days like today truly remind us why we at Hospice do what we do, and shows what our care means to patients and their loved ones – we are blessed with the difference that we get to make in people’s lives each and every day."

The Isle of Man TT is due to begin on Monday 29 May running through to Friday 10 June.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...