Football legend John Barnes joined the family of a Liverpool girl who became the inspiration for a children鈥檚 hospice to officially open the 拢11m offices of The Contact Company (TCC).
Barnes, who scored 108 goals in a glittering 407-game career with the Reds, and TCC鈥檚 founder and CEO Asif Hamid cut the ribbon to the new 48,000 sq ft Kingsgate Building.
They were joined by the family of Claire Louise Cain, who died of cancer in 1989 just a few weeks short of her 10th birthday and gave her name to Claire House Children鈥檚 Hospice, which opened its doors in Wirral in December, 1998.
Claire鈥檚 parents Chris and Bobby and sister Tracey also planted a time capsule to commemorate TCC鈥檚 10th anniversary.
In front of an audience of 170 VIPs and invited guests, Hamid said: 鈥淭he opening of Kingsgate is a statement of our intent and our ambition. We now have 1,300 staff and people want to work here.
“This is the future. We want to grow our turnover to 拢40m inside five years and we鈥檙e already looking for a third site.
鈥淐laire House Children鈥檚 Hospice is our chosen charity this year and we鈥檙e delighted that they can celebrate our 10th anniversary and cut the ribbon to Kingsgate.鈥�
Claire鈥檚 mum Chris Cain said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 an honour to be asked to open the building and it鈥檚 even more of an honour to talk about Claire. To be talking about Claire 27 years after her death makes me feel very proud.鈥�
Barnes, who is a close friend of Hamid, took part in a footballing question-and-answer session and posed for photos with fans.
He said: 鈥淚鈥檝e lived in Liverpool for nearly 30 years and I鈥檝e seen it grow, especially in the last five to ten years.
“It has a lot to offer in terms of the River Mersey and the airport. Where we are now in Birkenhead is just a mile from Liverpool city centre.鈥�
The ceremony also included speeches from Wirral Council leader Phil Davies and Paula Basnett, CEO at Wirral Chamber of Commerce.
The day started with a business breakfast debate about Brexit and was hosted by 老九品茶Cloud editor Chris Maguire.