I left Norway for Liverpool with just two suitcases - here's why it's still home 15 years later

For Ole Johan Stokke, the bonds that tie Norway and Liverpool have naturally developed across a shared history dating back centuries. The 79-year-old has been the custodian of the Scandinavian Seamen's Church on Park Lane for the past 15 years since he made the move to Merseyside from Ålesund on the western coast of his home country. It was an emotional time in the former care home manager's life when he was offered the job, as his wife had just died and he had recently retired from his job. The difficult personal situation coincided with a period of great change for the church , officially known as the Gustaf Adolfs Kyrka, as they needed someone to live on site to look after the facilities of the imposing Grade II listed building. Ole's sister, Mette Anne Royden, has lived in Wirral since the late 1960s with her husband and the couple are deeply involved in the church, which represents a hub for the Nordic community in our region. She reached out to Ole to see if he would be up for the move - and he soon left, with two suitcases in hand, to make the 1600 mile journey from Scandinavia to Merseyside. Ahead of England's match against Norway in the quarter finals of the World Cup on Saturday night (July 11), the ECHO sat down with Ole in the peaceful gardens of the church he has called home since 2011. Arriving in Liverpool was nothing new for Ole as he had already visited many times to spend time with his sister - and he can still remember his first pint in the old Beehive pub 58 years ago. But staying in one place for a decade and a half represents a change of tact for Ole as he is representative of the nomadic mindset cultivated by his home nation's seafaring identity. He told the ECHO in an exclusive interview : "I have been moving around my whole life. "What did [Rudyard] Kipling say about the cat? I am like the cat who walked by himself, and all places were alike to him. I can settle in anywhere, but I can't actually get my roots down. I'm afraid because I'll have to dig them up again. That's why I live a little bit on the surface." Even a self proclaimed wanderer like Ole has found it easy to settle in Liverpool, where he has built a new life for himself, as he has remarried and enjoys welcoming in people from his native Scandinavia to stay at the church. He said: "For me it was easy to settle in because I have a little bit of family here and I want to see myself as a pretty flexible person. "The contract was one year and now I've been here 15 years. It's a lifestyle. I'm here 24/7. There are always people coming here for different reasons. The years have went on and it is nice to meet different people." Ole already had an affinity for the region through his sister and his support for Liverpool FC , but the famous Liverpudlian welcome has made it even easier to settle here. He said: "It's the atmosphere in the city. It's very lively. There's something happening all the time. You get a good welcome. You always get help. When I need a connection with people, I can get it. When I need something, it's no problem." Ole's fandom for the red half of Merseyside is a sentiment widely shared with many of his compatriots as he explained English football is the favourite pastime for Norwegians. The support for Liverpool FC widely took hold across Norway as the state broadcaster began televising English football in the 1970s when the Reds were the dominant force in the club game. But Ole said the roots go much deeper as it's impossible to separate the history of Liverpool from Norse culture. He said: "It was natural for me to be a Liverpool fan because my family live here. "The connection with Liverpool is better than any other city in England because of the second World War and the merchant fleet." Norse culture has been part of the DNA in this part of the world ever since the Viking Conquests in the 10th century. Liverpool's status as a port has meant it has been a regular stop off for Scandinavian seamen ever since, who brought the Labskaus stew to our shores that inspired our Scouse nickname. The connection only got stronger during WWII when the Norwegian government-in-exile put more than 1,000 vessels at the disposal of the allies after the country was occupied by the Nazis. As Ole explained: "Thousands of Norwegian sailors stayed here [in LIverpool]." The Norse sailors set up the original Nordic church in Aigburth before it merged with the Swedish church to become the Scandinavian Seamen's Church in the Baltic Triangle today. The influence of Norse culture is still part of the day to day life in Liverpool as it inspired the names of areas such as Aigburth and Toxteth . Ole has experienced the links first hand as he said people often end up talking to him about their Norwegian ancestry or links to the region. He added: "There is absolutely an affinity with here and Norway and vice versa. Many Norwegians say, 'Liverpool is my second home'." However, it's not all plain sailing for Ole as he laughed many people struggle with the pronunciation of his name and he is still coming to terms with the pace of the Liverpool accent. He said: "For me, it is difficult to understand what people say. Especially the ladies when they talk so bloody fast. There is Scouse and there is 'Scouse'. Some are more Scouse than others." The Scandinavian concept of hygge is widely practiced in Norway as it's a lifestyle that means you should savour and enjoy the quiet moments in the day. The UK hasn't quite grasped this slower pace of life and Ole said he will never get used to the sight of people eating and drinking while on the move. He said: "What I react to is seeing people walk down the street with something to eat or drink all the time. I think, 'What is the matter of that? Can't they eat at home? In Norway, we sit on the bench. Don't walk around. That is very strange for me. I can't get over it." Ole has accepted the different ways of life and is enjoying his quiet life in Merseyside as he doesn't leave the peaceful grounds as much as he used to since a bad knee limited his mobility. He has been enjoying the World Cup from the comfort of his home and is hoping his home nation can pull off another upset after defeating Brazil to progress to the semi-finals of this summer's tournament. The last time the two nations faced off in a competitive game of football represented a nadir in the English game as Norway ended the Three Lions hopes of playing at the first USA World Cup in 1994 with a 2 - 0 win. The result was a seismic moment in English football that prompted shockwaves with how this country approaches the game. While England will be hoping to put to bed the memories of 1994 with the quarter final in Miami, Ole is expecting a close fought encounter that will be decided by a penalty shootout. A deadly finisher in form like Erling Haaland means anything is possible as he continues to dream about what his home nation could achieve in this summer's tournament. He said: "Norwegians always want to beat England because England seems to have some big self-confidence they are the best in the world. Sometimes they are good, sometimes they are absolutely not good." He added: "We feel we are equal in quality. If Norway win, they could win the whole thing."