West Ham players bring festive cheer to Newham Hospital
Players from West Ham United men’s and women’s team paid a special visit to Newham hospital this week, meeting staff and delivering gifts to our young patients.
During their visit, players spent time chatting to staff across multiple departments including intensive care and A&E, as well as visiting children in our Rainbow Ward.
The visit was a huge morale boost, especially as given how busy our services have been this winter, and the teams brought some much-needed festive joy to the hospital.
Our Senior Paediatric Nurse, Vicky Cook said:
"It was brilliant to see the faces of our staff and patients light up when they met the players. Visits like this make such a huge impact on the children we care for, and as Newham's local team, we are so grateful to West Ham for their ongoing support to us and Barts Charity."
West Ham United Men’s captain Jarrod Bowen said:
“It’s nice to come in and give out presents, most of us here today are parents so when we come to these ones it's always difficult when you're seeing kids in hospital over Christmas. But if we can come in and put a smile on their face for Christmas, we feel like we’ve done wonders for them. It was a good day, good to see the children, hand out the presents and give them a real boost before Christmas.
“I love doing these things, I always speak about this club being one whole family, that shows in different places you come to and this one especially. A lot of the workers are West Ham fans, so it was nice to see them as well. I love being able to come down to these opportunities and hopefully put a smile on people’s faces.”
West Ham United Women’s vice-captain Shelina Zadorsky said:
“ It was a really nice day visiting Newham Hospital, seeing the staff who work so hard and all of the patients as well. It’s really meaningful for us to give back to the community in just a small way, to bring some cheer and hopefully some smiles.
“This time of year is hard for families especially with a family member who is sick, for all the workers and staff here it's a busy time of year as well, so for us to come in and connect with people in the community, it's really special. Being able to see the kids smiling and with a little West Ham gift is the least we can do.”
Nina Gorman, one of our patient pathway coordinators brought along West Ham’s biggest fan – her 10-year-old son, Teddy. She said:
"We're born and bred in Canning Town, so our family are lifelong West Ham supporters. Thank you to the players for making my 10-year-old son's dreams come true - it really was a magical day and set us up for the best Christmas ever. It will stay in our memories for a lifetime!”
Dr. Fotis Gkioulos, our Clinical Fellow said:
It was a great moment meeting the West Ham United players! Spending time with them and giving gifts to the patients for Christmas was truly a unique experience! Their presence in the hospital during this time of year makes a real difference for our patients. As a West Ham fan, I feel proud of our team and their support to our community!
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