Ex-footballer Neil 'Razor' Ruddock gets Wolves tattoo to help hospital fundraiser
The former Liverpool and Tottenham defender has helped raise almost £10,000 so far for New Cross Hospital.
Last updated 23rd Feb 2024
Former footballer Neil “Razor” Ruddock has had a Wolves tattoo to raise money for a special project at New Cross Hospital.
The ex-Liverpool and Tottenham defender went under the needle to help The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Charity towards a target of £30,000 to renovate its garden in the Children’s Ward.
The 55-year-old is good friends with Wolves fanatic and serial fundraiser Jason Guy, who has raised more than £400,000 for good causes.
Jason’s daughter Olivia, has 1p36, a disorder that typically causes severe intellectual disability.
“I’ve known Jason for a few years now and his daughter Olivia has had a lot of treatment at New Cross Hospital,” said Neil.
“He told me how the garden could do with a bit of TLC for children and their families so I thought I’d have a Wolves tattoo.
“He took me to a Wolves game against Nottingham Forest and I loved it when the fans sang ‘Hi Ho Wolverhampton!’
“So I thought I’d have a tattoo with that on and I said Jason had to have a Millwall (Neil’s boyhood team) tattoo and then we’d see how much money we could raise.
“It snowballed from there and we raised £8,000 in the first two days and now we’re up to nearly £10,000.”
Jason added: “We saw the difference it made to us as a family to have that outside space and my wife Aimee used to come home and say ‘it’s a lovely space but it could do with a bit of work.’
“So I asked the Charity and the ladies told me about the garden. It’s something everyone can get involved with raising money for, to help the community, and that £30,000 will change the garden for years to come.”
Neil had ‘Hi Ho Wolverhampton’ with the Wolves emblem on his right forearm, where the artwork joined tattoos from his former clubs Tottenham (To Dare Is To Do) and ‘YNWA’ the abbreviated form of You’ll Never Walk Alone, the Liverpool anthem. Jason had one saying ‘The Wall’ on his right bicep.
It was a dream come true for tattoo shop New Ink owner Craig James, who is a Liverpool fan.
“This is a big highlight for me because I used to watch Razor play in the early 1990s when he was at Liverpool,” said father of two Craig, from Wombourne.
He completed the £50 tattoos free of charge, taking about 15 minutes each.
Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager for The RWT Charity, said: “It’s a wonderful gesture by Razor and Jason to have their tattoos done – rather them than me! But they are truly great sports and this will raise a lot of money towards our garden fund.”
The online fundraiser can be found here.