Noble champions Richard House plight

Mark Noble has continued to champion the work done by Richard House after donation buckets were deposited outside the ground for Saturday's 1-1 draw with Sunderland.

A patron of the hospice, which provides care and support for life-limited children and young adults with complex health conditions, Noble has long been involved with their work and does all he can to promote its cause.

Speaking about the hospice, Noble praised the work undertaken by the staff, who he hopes will be able to continue their hard work for many years to come.

"It's based in Beckton and I've been going there for years," explained Noble. "It's a place for kids who don't normally live to over the age of 21 or 22.

"It's just a fantastic place to go where they can go and enjoy the life that they are going to have, the staff there are fantastic and you only have to go there to see it."

West Ham United showed their support for the official club charity at Saturday's match with Sunderland, with the players recording good luck messages for the charity and wearing T-shirts in the warm-up, supported by stories on the club website and programme. Noble was at the forefront of those, carrying on the generous gesture he made at his wedding in the summer.

"In the summer for my wedding, my wife Carly and I wanted our presents and gifts to go to Richard House.

"The Joint Chairman David Sullivan very kindly made a five figure donation to them as a wedding present to Carly and I. It was a great gesture and I appreciate it a lot.

"If anyone wants to help them out then the website is www.richardhouse.org.uk. It is a fantastic charity."

Through West Ham United's help and support, Richard House raised £2,488.67 on Saturday - almost £500 more than they did at the last match in February. The club are delighted with the generosity shown by fans at the game, with the sum being sufficient to allow a child to access the hospice for five days of day care, something not only very important for the child but often essential to allow the parents to have a break.

Viv Talbot, Richard House's fundraising manager said: "We collect at West Ham every year and we are pleased to say we raised £2,488 for the hospice on Saturday

"Considering how difficult it is at the moment for people to donate money, we are really pleased with how it went and how much we raised. Thank you to everyone who dug deep in their pockets.

"Both David Gold and David Sullivan were really pleased to see us there and they made a significant donation and promised to do more for us moving forward."

For those wishing to donate that did not attend Saturday's game, you can give £5 simply by texting RHCH02 £5 to 70070.

For more information on Richard House Children's Hospice, click here.