Mark Noble has spoken of his passion for the Richard House children's hospice after the club's Christmas visit.
The homegrown Hammer is a patron of the Beckton-based hospice which helps life-limited children and their families all year round. West Ham United's players always visit at this time of year and Noble was joined by Marek Stech, Joey O'Brien, Abdoulaye Faye Winston Reid, John Carew, Carlton Cole and Frederic Piquionne.
They gave out Hammers goody bags including footballs and giant teddies, while Noble handed over a sizeable donation after captain Kevin Nolan organised a collection among the squad. Half the money went to the King George hospital in Goodmayes attended by the rest of the first-team players.
Richard House, which relies on generous donations from supporters for much of its annual budget, has a special place in the heart of Noble, given he was brought up in the area and is a proud father of two.
"I have been coming here since I was 17 and I try and come here four or five times a year just to see how the place is going," he told West Ham TV. "They wanted to make me a patron which I was honoured to be.
"It is a place which puts life into perspective. You come here and see what people do for these kids and it is fantastic."
The Hammers will extend their partnership with Richard House in 2012, with the home match against Southampton on 14 February provisionally scheduled to be their annual awareness game.
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