Staff and children at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital were delighted when some very special visitors came to deliver Christmas presents on the wards and in Children’s A&E recently.
Players from Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club and Sussex Cricket Foundation took time out of their busy training schedules to deliver cuddly toys, signed photographs and soft cricket balls alongside lots of other gifts for children staying in the hospital over the Christmas period.
Glen Murray who is a striker for Brighton and Hove Albion said:
“It’s really important that we come up here at this time of year. No one wants to be stuck in hospital and I’ve brought my own kids up here on occasions so it’s great
to be able to give back and make people smile.”
One young patient, Charlie (pictured below) who is a big BHAFC fan and season ticket holder, was overjoyed to meet his heroes and have his photo taken with the players. Charlie said it was ‘amazing’ to have met them in real life.
(Pictured Left to Right: Glen Murray, Billy Reid, Charlie, Dan Burn and Emily Simpkins)
Tymal Mills who plays for Sussex Cricket said: “We’re in a very lucky position as cricketers, and it’s one we should never take for granted. Visiting today and giving out some gifts was our pleasure – although I think Sid and Sandy were the real stars!”
The visits were arranged by the hospital’s Specialist Play Team, lead by Amy Farmer, a qualified Senior Hospital Play Specialist who helps children to have a more positive experience in hospital. Amy said:
“The children and their families always look forward to visits from local teams, its lovely of them to take time out to come and visit. Regular families always ask when they are coming and it really brightens up this time of year when being in hospital.”
(Pictured right: Sandy the Shark, Noah, and Tom Haines SCC batsman)
