A SNOW patrol superfan has spoken of her delight after being gifted a handsewn doll of their lead singer – worth £55.
Serena Sinden, from Hastings, East Sussex, received the “brilliant” present from a friend and fellow snow patrol fan for her birthday.
She had long wanted to get her hands on her own mini Gary Lightbody, who has led Snow Patrol for the last 25 years.
Luckily her friend, Karen Jackson, 50, was on hand to make her dream come true.
Image: Serena Sinden, Facebook
Karen, from Manchester, commissioned the replica from Alison’s Dolls, a Facebook page dedicated to producing celebrity lookalikes.
Serena was thrilled with her gift and took to a Gary Lightbody fan page on Facebook to share her delight.
Posting a photo of the doll in the group, she said, “My perfect birthday pressie from my bestie Karen Jackson”.
The image shows a close up of the doll, dressed in a casual look complete with Gary Lightbody’s distinctive hair and stubble.
The fan page was suitably impressed, commenting on the photo, “OMG!!! The clothes looks exactly the way he were dressed in Malahide [Dublin]. So adorable!”
The doll, which cost £55 was made by Alison’s Dolls. Other famous faces on offer from the page include models of Freddie Mercury, Kate Bush and Boy George.
Both women have been a fan of the band since the release of their smash single ‘Chasing Cars’ and regularly meet up with other fans to attend gigs across the UK.
They believe they have seen the band collectively more than 40 times.
Image: Serena Sinden, Facebook
Serena explained, “I have always loved snow patrol but started following the band more after seeing them live in Manchester in 2012. We go to as many shows as we can including travelling several times to Belfast.
“I had the idea of making a Gary doll for a joke, but wasn’t sure how to go about it or where to start although I had a picture in my mind of the finished thing! Then I received this in the post. It’s brilliant!”
Karen said: “I just love them, their music and the way Gary talks and the way he writes and expresses himself as a human being.
“I’ve known Serena for over 30 years had this idea for a present for her so I just googled it and found the store. It was a complete surprise for her and she loved it.”
Serena has since tweeted a picture of the doll in the hopes of attracting Gary’s attention, but is yet to receive a response.
According to Karen, the pair will be back supporting the band as soon as they return to the stage.
The band recently made headlines after being forced to pull out of a string of performances, including one at this weekend’s Glastonbury festival, as guitarist Johnny McDaid receives urgent neck surgery.
