Charlton Athletic FC players make festive visit to hospital

Charlton Athletic’s women’s and men’s teams visited Queen Elizabeth Hospital last week to bring festive cheer to patients.

Club players and staff brought sacks of gifts and boxes of chocolates for patients and hospital colleagues. During their visit to the hospital, the football stars visited the children’s wards and the Macmillan Brook Cancer Unit.

Hazel Perkins, a patient on Macmillan Brook Unit, said: “Meeting the Charlton women’s football team was a great surprise and a much-needed distraction from chemotherapy. I also received a lovely gift. Thank you very much.”

Michael Hector, defender for Charlton Athletic FC, said: “We know how big the club is in the community, so it was important for us to show up and put smiles on the kids’ faces just before Christmas. Some of the children were very sick, so it was great to give out presents and play games with them and support our community.”

With Christmas just around the corner, you can also bring a smile to the faces throughout the wards by donating to the Christmas Toy Appeal.

The Trust Charity is inviting local communities give a gift to young patients at University Hospital Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital who are too ill to go home and spend Christmas with their families.

You can also donate new toys in the original packaging such as baby toys, educational toys, arts and crafts sets, board games and toiletries gift sets. The Trust charity asks that you do not wrap your gifts and are unable to accept cuddly toys.

Toys can be dropped off at University Hospital Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s main reception, between 10am and 3pm each day until December 22.

Carol Sullivan-Wallace, health specialist on Safari and Tiger Ward, said: “Thank you to the women’s and men’s Charlton Athletic Football teams for their wonderful visits to Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

“This year, we had a lot of sick and complex needs children on the wards, and the players were fantastic with them; they truly embraced everything, gave their time, and showed care and compassion to the patients.”

Details on the Christmas Toy Appeal can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/lgtchristmasappeal2023

Pictured top: From left, Tayo Edun, Michael Hector, Corey Blackett-Taylor, Chuks Aneke, Richard O’Donnell (Men’s First-Team Coach), Terry Taylor, Louie Watson, Harry Isted and Conor McGrandles all came to the QEH’s Children’s unit bearing gifts (Picture: Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust)