For new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, there’s one accessory that goes with anything. Whether he’s wearing his best suit or a retro Everton shirt, he’s rarely seen without his sky-blue Joseph’s Goal bracelet on his right wrist.
The wristband shows his support for brave Wigan teen Joseph Kendrick, who was born with life-limiting disability Non-Ketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKH).
It has featured on Mr Burnham’s Makerfield byelection poster. It was on his wrist when he was sworn in as Labour Party leader. It was seen across the globe on news footage when he met Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time.
And to Joe’s proud parents, it really does mean the world. His dad Paul Kendrick admits: “Joe’s mum Emma gets incredibly emotional whenever she sees pictures like this, knowing there’s someone else sticking up for her little boy.”
The 17-year-old is one of just 500 people in the world living with the rare condition – and among the oldest in the UK. When he was born in 2009, his parents were warned he would live for just 10 days. They wouldn’t even get him out of hospital.
Joe survived against the odds, albeit with severe disabilities. He still experiences seizures and needs full-time care. But Paul says he inspires everyone he meets with his strength, resilience and unmistakable spark.
Mr Burnham has been supporting the family since 2012, when they set up the Joseph’s Goal charity to fund research into a cure for Joe’s condition.
Paul, 49, explains: “At the time, he was the MP for Leigh and – along with our Wigan MP Lisa Nandy – he showed his support with things like raffle and auction prizes, such as bottles of whisky from the House of Commons.
“He also joined Joe’s grandma at our stand at the Leigh Expo to celebrate the charity’s first anniversary.”
Then in 2013, Joe captured the hearts of fans as the mascot for Wigan Athletic, ahead of their famous FA Cup giant-killing of Manchester City.
Joe, then aged four, was carried out onto the pitch at Wembley Stadium by captain Emmerson Boyce, in TV pictures beamed to millions worldwide.
And of course, Mr Burnham is equally footie-mad. He took little persuasion to take part in the charity’s annual legends football match at Ashton Town in 2019, when a Wigan Athletic XI faced a Manchester United XI.
Paul, a sports journalist for Wigan Today, says: “He was given a shirt, shorts and socks – and borrowed some boots – and came on as a substitute alongside Bryan Robson, against a Wigan side including Roberto Martinez, Graeme Jones and Gary Caldwell.”
The former Manchester mayor said he “would have loved to” have played in this year’s match, which came a week before he announced his candidacy for the Makerfield by-election.
“He wanted to know if we still had ties to Ashton Town FC, which of course is where he held a couple of his media events during and after the by-election,” says Paul. “That to me summed him up perfectly.“
“No matter what he has gone on to since, he remembered small things like playing in our game at Ashton Town, and it’s really obvious he is passionate about community and sticking together, which he’s already shown during his short term in office.”
The family were delighted to see their most famous supporter become both their MP and the nation’s Prime Minister. “We knew the kind of person he is and that would only be good for the country after so many years of instability and division,” says Paul.
“The most important characteristic anyone can have is being a good person, and we’ve only ever seen that in abundance since knowing him.
“A lot of the support he’s shown has been behind the scenes, but due to his rise in profile over the last few weeks, it has been even more apparent.”
And the extra publicity that comes with Mr Burnham’s new profile can only be a good thing for their aim of finding a cure.
Paul says: “We were incredibly proud when he was pictured wearing his Joseph’s Goal wristband while out on a regular jog near his house, and even more so when he was pictured on the front page of a national newspaper at the Great Manchester Run.
“Little things like that are so important for a small, family-run charity like ours. We’re sure he’ll be a great leader for our country, because he not only is he an impressive statesman and communicator, but he cares. And he hasn’t forgotten where he’s come from. And that goes a long way with people like us.”
NKH is thought to affect around one in 76,000 live births worldwide. Tragically 80% of babies diagnosed with the condition do not survive their first year and most children with the severest form do not live past age five.
Funds raised by Joseph’s Goal are sent directly to Dr Nick Greene, at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health in London, which leads the UK programme of NKH research. He says support from the charity has accelerated progress by “several years”, bringing new treatments significantly closer.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham says: “I’ve known Joe Kendrick, his mum Emma and dad Paul for a long time. Joe has Non-Ketotic Hyperglycinemia, a rare, life limiting genetic disorder.
“With his condition, Joe wasn’t supposed to live beyond 10 days. He’s now a teenage lad and with his parents, spreading awareness about this serious condition through their charity Joseph’s Goal in Wigan and across the country.
“If anyone was wondering, that’s why I wear my blue Joseph Goal’s wristband when I’m out and about. To try and do my bit to help more people learn about this fantastic charity, fantastic cause and fantastic family.”
Visit josephsgoal.org for more information and to support the charity, which has a monthly lottery at just £5 to join.