Family praise 'living legend' as Sutton man, soon-to-be 85, takes a leap

Mr John Patterson, also known as Jack, resides in Sutton and will be turning 85 this month.

He recently fulfilled a long-standing desire by taking a leap and abseiling.

Mr Patterson's son, Jonathan, who is an electrician living in Hertfordshire with his wife and children, reached out to your Chad to share how “inspirational” his father is, despite his health issues.

Jonathan said that he was in Mansfield to watch Mansfield Town FC with his son, Oscar, when he received a text message from his dad.

The WhatsApp message came after Jonathan parted ways with his dad outside One Call Stadium.

The message revealed that when Mr Patterson walked back to his Sutton home from Mansfield via the reservoir path, he decided to fulfil a long-held desire.

Jonathan said: “During the match, I received a picture message from him with a rock climbing bump hat on, and his message said that he had just abseiled off a bridge on the way, which was at the reservoir.

“At the ripe old age of 85 – it’s not something that you hear of every day.

“To add a couple more layers to the story though, he is currently battling bowel cancer, and to top it off, he is also into his fourth week of chemo and radiotherapy. The man is a living legend.”

Jonathan said his “impressive” dad has already walked 50 miles in the Mansfield and Ashfield area this month.

Mr Patterson grew up in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, but relocated to Sutton over forty years ago.

Before retiring, he worked as a high-voltage cable jointer and installer, and was the owner of Joint and Cable Services.

Mr Patterson’s immediate family includes his son Jonathan, Jonathan's wife Helen, and his grandchildren, 18-year-old Erin and 15-year-old Oscar.

After being diagnosed with cancer, Mr Patterson also went to the Peak District over the summer with his son and grandson for a ‘lads and dads’ trip.

Jonathan added: “He continues to be an unbelievable inspiration to us all.”