29 December 2008
Fulham Football Club is top of the league on the children's ward at Queen Mary's Hospital for Children, part of Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, after three players visited sick children at Christmas.
Goalkeepers Mark Schwarzer and Pascal Zuberbuhler joined defender Fredrik Stoor in giving Christmas presents to the ward's sixteen children and spending time chatting to their families.
One lucky recipient was 8-year-old Alicia, who was given a Tinkerbell DVD, a Hannah Montana toy microphone and a book of fairytale stories.
Alicia said: "It was really exciting to see the football players and it was very kind of them to think of us."
Ward sister Julie Williams said: "The players' visit was wonderful - both for the children and their parents. They spent two hours on the ward, chatting to everyone and really taking the time to find out about the patients; and they brought some wonderful presents too!"
The players paid for the presents - including a Sega Dreamcast for the ward from defender Chris Baird - out of their own money.
The children's ward at Queen Mary's Hospital for Children treats children with a variety of conditions, including genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis, as well as diabetes and asthma.
