LUKE MARSDEN - Family safety a perfect prezzie

I write this a year older than I was when I wrote last week’s column. On Thursday I turned 33 amongst many of the things that I’ve mused about as I’m getting older, the dying off of text messages and the flood of Insta DM’s and Facebook messages never ceases to surprise me.

There still feels something more personal about a text message than someone sliding into my direct messages on a social media platform.

Do you remember when birthday greetings were actually done in person? No, me either.

I’ve proudly lived in Wigan all of my life (aside from a year I did in London but we all make mistakes!) but perhaps the most bizarre birthday experience I’ve had was when I turned 21 in the Big Brother house back in 2008.

We were on basic rations that week so £1 per person per day, BB gave me the ingredients to bake my own birthday cake, which the other housemates subsequently burned.

Nothing says key to the door like drinking a lukewarm glass of orange juice, eating burned cake listening to Leona Lewis’ s Bleeding Love.

Despite 2020 being a disastrous year for almost everything, I do think we can still take many positives from it.

More than any presents I received this week I’m grateful that my family are safe and healthy and Wigan is weathering the storm that is Covid-19.

If you’ve celebrated a birthday or special occasion this week then congratulations because now, more than ever, we should be grateful to have any reason to pop a cork and celebrate.

Of course, another reason to celebrate this week is Wigan Athletic’s remarkable victory, the club is the true embodiment of Wigan perseverance and fighting spirit.

If that’s not enough to dust off that bottle you’ve been saving, I don’t know what is.