Left Norway for Liverpool and its still home 15 years later

Left Norway for Liverpool and still calls the city home 15 years later, according to a profile ahead of England vs Norway at the World Cup. Ole Johan Stokke, 79, has been the custodian of the Scandinavian Seamen’s Church (Gustaf Adolfs Kyrka), located on Park Lane, for 15 years, moving from Ålesund in western Norway to Merseyside in 2011. The move was driven by family ties and a challenging personal moment: his wife had recently died and he had retired from managing a care home. Stokke traveled about 1,600 miles with two suitcases, after his sister, Mette Anne Royden, in Wirral reached out to invite him to live on site. He describes the church as a hub for the Nordic community and notes he supported Liverpool FC. The interview, published before the July 11 quarterfinal, highlights how he made Liverpool his long-term base.