Wish Comes True for Terminally Ill Brentford Fan
Paul Simpson gets one last trip to watch the Bees trash Chelsea
Paul was given an executive box to watch the game. Picture: London Wish Ambulance
October 2, 2026
A lifelong Brentford FC supporter with terminal heart failure was able to watch his beloved Bees one last time thanks to a new initiative run by London Ambulance Service.
Paul Simpson, 69, from Isleworth, had been a season-ticket holder since the age of 11 and followed Brentford through the lower leagues and into the Premier League. But with end-stage heart failure, he believed his days of attending matches were over. That changed when his end-of-life care team contacted London Wish Ambulance, a new charity initiative which aims to help people approaching the end of their lives create special memories with their loved ones.
London Ambulance Service paramedics volunteered their free time to take Paul and his wife Wendy to Brentford's Premier League match against Chelsea at the Gtech Community Stadium on Friday 18 September. The couple were accompanied by paramedics Lena Ricci-Hodgson, Elizabeth Randon and Ben Evans, who provided care and support during the trip. Paul and Wendy watched as Brentford recorded a 3-0 victory over their west London rivals from a stadium box provided by the club. The evening also gave Paul the chance to reunite with fellow season-ticket holders he had sat alongside for years but had not seen since his health prevented him from attending matches. Former Brentford players also visited the couple during the evening. Paul n said watching Brentford one last time had been "amazing", adding that he had genuinely believed he would never have another opportunity to see the team play.
He said the occasion was about more than football because it allowed him to spend time with friends and family, and thanked everyone who helped make the visit possible. Wendy described the experience as overwhelming and said it was lovely to see her husband watching Brentford alongside his old friends. She also praised the ambulance crews for being friendly and helpful, joking that she thought they had become Brentford fans themselves.
Paul at the game with his wife Wendy. Picture: London Wish Ambulance
Ben Evans, Deputy Director of Clinical Quality Operations, led the creation of London Wish Ambulance. He said the initiative was founded on the belief that, when time is limited, helping people make special memories with the people they love matters. Seeing that happen for Paul, surrounded by his wife and friends, was exactly what the Wish Ambulance had been created to make possible.
London Wish Ambulance relies on charitable donations to help meet costs associated with its trips, which can include transport and fuel as well as elements of the experience itself. The initiative could help people fulfil wishes ranging from attending a concert or visiting the zoo to having fish and chips by the seaside or simply spending a day back at the family home.
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