West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen, Darren Randolph and Freddie Potts paid a special Christmas visit to Saint Francis Hospice as a part of the Players' Project programme.
The project is the most ambitious and integrated community programme ever created by a Premier League Club, with Men’s, Women’s and Academy players giving their time to work with people in the local community.
The three Hammers were welcomed to the Romford-based hospice, where the players spent the afternoon meeting patients, their families and staff, before posing for photographs and handing out goodie bags.
St Francis Hospice is one of the largest adult hospices in the UK, serving the populations of Havering, Brentwood, Barking & Dagenham, Redbridge and West Essex.
Their team of specialist consultants, doctors, nurses and a range of other health and social care professionals provide care and support to individuals with a life-limiting illness, as well as their carers and family members, completely free of charge.
Bowen was full of praise for the inspirational staff and volunteers at St Francis, whilst also suggesting that it was special to spread some joy around the hospice.
“The staff here are a real inspiration,” he started. “They work extremely hard and they care immensely for everyone at this hospice. It was clear to see how special the staff are as soon as I walked in. Everyone was talking about how nice the nurses are and how much support they give everyone.
“It was really nice for us to come down here today and to put a smile on so many people’s faces. Christmas is a time of joy and spirit and it was brilliant to spread some joy today. I just want to say thank you to everyone at St Francis, it was really special and inspiring for us players.”
Goalkeeper Randolph said that it is vital for players to give back to the community and to raise awareness around the hospice’s fantastic work.
“It’s very important for us to come here and to raise awareness,” he reflected. “It’s massive for us to get out and to help the community in whatever way that we can, especially at this time of year. It was great for us to bring some joy and some happiness to people who aren’t quite as fortunate as we are. This community backs the Club all of the time so it is important for us to give back to the community as much as possible.
“We met a number of fans and there were even a few people wearing the home shirt so it was nice for us to come and surprise them. The people we met have obviously been unable to come to matches and they might not have ever met some of the players before. To be able to have a face to face visit with them was really special and hopefully it has brightened up everyone’s day.”
St Francis’ Local Engagement team member Andy Furneaux joined the Hospice in 2011 and he was delighted to see the positive impact that the player appearances had on patients, families and the staff.
“It’s provided a huge boost for everyone,” Furneaux smiled. “This just gives everyone a little bit of hope, especially the families at this time of the year. Our hospice serves a huge area and that area is dominated by West Ham supporters.
“We have a fantastic connection to the football club and events like today aren’t everyday events. To have West Ham players coming into the hospice and interacting with everybody means the world. It means everything to the staff, the patients and their families.”
Sean Erwood is also a part of the Local Engagement Team at St Francis and he was keen to state the importance of the Hospice.
“This Hospice is so important to the local people,” Erwood started. “It is one of the largest hospices in the UK and we deal with patients and their families if anybody is suffering from any life limiting-illness. These include cancer, motor neurone disease and Parkinson's disease.
“The reason that we are one of the largest hospices in the world is because we deal with people from such a large area, we serve almost one million people. It was fantastic to have the West Ham players down here. It boosted morale and gave our patients an opportunity to have some brilliant photos with their families. For some of our patients, it will be a really special final memory.”
For more information about St Francis Hospice and how you can get involved by volunteering, donating or fundraising, please click here.
