Alan Morris aka Gooner aka Sharky.

My name is Alan Morris. Not a lot of people know that. No seriously most people that know me, call me either Gooner or Sharky & over the years I have got so used to answering to a nickname that I sometimes don't realise people are talking to me when they use my real name.

Why am I called Gooner?

I am a big supporter of Arsenal Football Club, Arsenal's nickname is the Gunners & their supporters are called Gooners. Many years ago a friend I was talking with called me Gooner & was overheard by other people who started to call me Gooner, this continued to the point where everyone called me Gooner & people who didn't know my name used this nickname. People in the UK generally use this nickname.

Why am I called Sharky?

In 2014 whilst having a break in Spain I was taken ill & because of my illness, I had a large part of my right leg removed. The resulting scare looks like I have been attacked by a large shark, a few friends in Spain told people that I had been attacked by a shark & once again the nickname has stuck. People in Spain generally use this nickname.

Click on the photo to see more about my necrotising fasciitis.

A little history

In brief, I was born in Walthamstow in London and moved to Fareham in Hampshire at the age of four. I grew up in Fareham, went to school, had my first girlfriend, my first job, my first everything really, all happened in Fareham. I have also spent time living in both Orlando, Florida in the USA and Los Alcazares, Murcia in Spain. I love getting out and meeting new people and trying new things.

In September 1990 I had a life-changing car accident which left me in intensive care for three months and visiting the hospital rehab unit for a year. I still have some problems related to the accident now, the loss of sight in one eye and a poor memory being a couple of them. Since then I have been trying to do some of the many things on my 'Bucket List', my big passion is travelling and now I have discovered escorted coach tours, I spend lots of my time planning new trips and how to spend my money when I do eventually manage to win the lottery.

Work Experience

I have had many jobs since I was a teenager. At the age of fourteen, I was doing a paper round, working part-time in the local paper shop cleaning the shop and stocking shelves, whilst also doing a football pools round. At fifteen I stopped working in the shop and doing the pools round and began working weekends in a local garden centre. At first, I worked in the yard as a yard boy, helping customers find what they wanted and carrying goods to peoples cars for them. After being there for a while I began working inside on the tills as a cashier before leaving the same week I left school at the age of sixteen. As soon as I left school I got a 3-year apprenticeship with British Gas. After completing my apprenticeship I became a Gas Service Engineer until my car accident in 1990. After this, I worked for British Gas and Transco in the offices as a clerk.

After taking redundancy from Transco, I lived in Orlando in Florida and worked cleaning swimming pools and as a taxi driver. On returning to the UK I worked as a website designer for some big companies including; The Dixon Group, Wandsworth Borough Council, Alton Sixth Form College and a number of smaller clients. In between these bigger jobs I have worked in Asda as a customer assistant, Travelex as a Travel Money Advisor and I have given voluntary computer lessons in the local library.

What am I doing now?

After my mum became ill in 2007 I became her full-time carer and looked after her until she passed away in 2014. 2014 ended badly for me, as well as losing my mum I became very ill, contracting Necrotizing Fasciitis & Sepsis. I am still recovering from the effects of both illnesses but I have now left Fareham.

I am now living in Los Alcazares in Murcia, Spain. My Doctor agreed with me that it would be the best thing I could do for my health. The warmer weather makes it easier for my breathing and the fact that the boardwalk along the beachfront is very flat & has plenty of rest stops, mean I can get some light exercise. Most days between the end of April & the start of November I go for a morning swim in the Mar Menor.

Unfortunately, in 2018 I spent 12 days in hospital in Murcia being treated for Deep Vein Thrombosis which has meant I find it difficult to exercise again but I continue to swim when I can & get about mainly on a disabled scooter.

: Written by Alan Morris; Created: 31 March 2020; Hits: 11833

Alan Morris