News Manchester
Huw ThomasA vicar who missed out on tickets to see Oasis has told how he “made a deal with God” so his heartbroken teenage son could see the band whose songs rocked him to sleep as a baby.
Reverend Huw Thomas, vicar of St Michael’s Church in Flixton, Greater Manchester, and his son took a handmade sign with them to plead for help outside Heaton Park in a last-ditch attempt to watch see the stars on Wednesday.
He said: “I don’t normally pray like this but I said to God if you get these tickets for me and my son I will give £200 to charity.”
His prayers were then answered “in a totally mad way” when a passing fan decided to hand him tickets, he said.
Rev Huw ThomasThe vicar held up the notice to ask for help, and said several fans sympathised with his plight but could not help.
“Some people were even giving me bottles of vodka and cans of beer,” he said.
Time was running out when one fan stopped to read the notice and said they had a family emergency and could not attend the gig, so offered him tickets.
Mr Thomas said: “As much as I tried to pay them they refused – I said ‘I know you have a problem, but I think God was working in the way you thought of my son in the middle of your own crisis’.”
St Michael’s Church, FlixtonMr Thomas had a further obstacle as the tickets were in the name of the person who bought them.
But after he pleaded at one checkpoint with a police officer and told a security guard at the next one about his son and the fact he was a vicar, he got to see the gig.
It was poignant for Mr Thomas, who was widowed eight years ago, as both he and his late wife were big Oasis fans and shared this with their son.
“I think my wife was really looking over us,” he said.
“We both thought it was brilliant – I’ve seen the band three times back in the day when there were fights breaking out.
“This time there was a different atmosphere and it was great to see people my age with their kids who were really into it.”
“I had my own guardian angels on Wednesday night.”
