Derbyshire fans make heart-warming request to Michael Bublé ahead of concert

Sue Horridge and her best friend Yvette Brown will join thousands of other fans when Michael takes the stage at Derby’s Incora County Ground on Saturday evening.

But the 58-year-old former school friends already have a bigger connection with the singer than most concert-goers, having lovingly nurtured his hat since jointly catching it when he threw it into the audience at a gig in Sheffield in May 2010.

As neither could lay sole claim on the hat, the pair have alternated ownership by presenting it to each other on Valentine’s Day every year since – in a special red box to which they have gradually added other Michael Bublé memorabilia.

Now that the singer is appearing in their ‘Home’ town, Sue and Yvette are doing all they can to persuade him to mention them when he performs his new hit ‘My Valentine’ on Saturday.

Sue, from Etwall, who owns two holiday lodges at Mercia Marina, near Willington, said: “Even if he just said our names or sent a hello to us in the crowd, that would be great. But our big dream is to meet him in person – that really would leave us ‘Feeling Good’.”

Sue, who has seen Michael Bublé perform at least ten times, said she had recently attempted to get a message to her hero and, although she received a polite reply from his PR team, they were unable to promise anything, given the number of similar requests they receive.

“I don’t blame them,” she said. “They must be inundated with fans wanting to meet Michael. But we’d love to meet him and tell him that we still treasure his hat. I just hope that might ‘Sway’ him!

“Swapping the Valentine’s box every year with Yvette is a bit of fun really, and a nice way to share the hat – but we are massive Michael Bublé fans and would love to finally see him close up.”

Children’s nursery worker Yvette, from Chaddesden, will be accompanied by partner Ian and Sue by her husband Pete and several of their friends and family at the concert.

Pete, 71, said he was “slightly jealous” of the feelings Sue had for Michael Buble. But he joked: “I go along to most of the concerts too and, to be honest, I also quite fancy him!”

Sue and Yvette, who met for the first time aged 11 at the former St Ralph Sherwin Catholic School, now Saint Benedict Catholic Voluntary Academy, in Darley Abbey, said they had discussed wearing Michael’s hat to the gig on Saturday but had decided against it.

“It’s just too precious to risk it, and we’re certainly not giving it back,” said Sue. “We’ll keep it firmly under lock and key and carry on swapping it in our Valentine’s box every year.”