Superheroes on mission for fun
YOU can always count on a superhero when times are hard. And not one but two versions of Spider-Man have been spreading joy around the streets of Stockport.
Using their hour of exercise a day, pals Andrew Baldock and Jason Baird have been using their time in the best possible way.
Working separately, they have been visiting streets around Stockport to wave to children who are stuck indoors because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The pair have been using social media to let families know where they are heading around lunchtime each day and children have been waving and sharing messages from their windows.
In fact a Facebook group to follow their whereabouts, and for people to share photos of their little ones getting in the superhero spirit, has already amassed nearly 800 members in just a few days.
Jason, 34, owns and runs Jason Baird’s Black Belt Academy in Reddish and Andrew, 44, is a full-time instructor there.
With Andrew covering Bosden Farm and Jason in parts of Bredbury, both are sending the message to children to stay indoors and wave from their windows to avoid breaking any social distancing guidelines.
Andrew, who has two sons, two stepsons and a stepdaughter, told the Express: “I’ve had the Spider-Man outfit for a while as I used to work in retail and would dress up for events. When I started working for Jason I used it for things like Halloween.
“Jason and I are very much about community so when all this happened I wanted to do something to cheer up the kids in the community so pulled out the Spidey costume.
“Jason loved the idea so managed to get a costume of his own so he could do the same in his area.”
One of the children who managed to catch a glimpse of Spidey was Louise Stockton’s three-year-old son Dexter, in Bredbury Green, Romiley.
“He put a route up last night for the roads he would be covering. We missed him yesterday but so glad we got to see him today,” said Louise.
“Dexter was so excited, he couldn’t stop asking when he was coming. It’s nice because he is following all the guidelines and he is just using his one exercise outing to do it cheering the children up. He’s telling them to stay indoors and stay safe.”