Spireites spread festive cheer
Christmas spirit was in abundance as members of the Spireites squad and coaching staff visited Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Ashgate Hospicecare.
Both visits were arranged by the club’s Community Trust and were well received by the patients and their families.
Those at the hospital received a cuddly Chester the Field Mouse toy – paid for by the players and supported by Maureen from the Club Superstore – and the club mascot also made a personal appearance.
Jenny Reaney, Play Team Leader at the hospital, said:-
“The players come down every year and it’s always a thrill for the youngsters. Even those who don’t really follow football have a great time talking to them and, of course, seeing Chester the Field Mouse!
“We do our best to give the children something special in the run up to Christmas. You never choose to be in hospital, but for younger patients they’d rather be at home or with their friends, joining in with the festivities, so to be at the centre of a special visit such as this one is a real tonic.”
The visit to Ashgate Hospicecare saw some of the players put on their dancing shoes, while Tesco kindly donated two boxes of chocolates.
A spokesperson for the hospice said:-
“We were delighted to have had a visit from Chesterfield Football Club. Our patients, staff and volunteers really enjoyed speaking with the team and we had some time to pose for photographs.
“We also had ballroom dancing as an activity in our day hospice that afternoon and it was great to see some of the team get involved with that, too!”
The visits were organised by Rachel Booth, Community Manager of the Chesterfield FC Community Trust, who said:-
“I’d like to thank the players and coaching staff, together with the Community Trust staff who attended the hospital and hospice.
“The visits are much appreciated and it is great that we can brighten up the lives of people who are not able to be at home at this time of the year.”
A video of the two visits will be available on Spireites PlayerHD and the club’s official YouTube channel later in the week.
Photography: Scott Parker
