Players from Manchester City’s mens and women’s teams have been spreading the festive cheer to hundreds of youngsters in hospital around Greater Manchester.
They visited four hospitals in the area, with Pep Guardiola’s team arriving at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital with bundles of presents and hand-made Christmas cards from City’s Academy players.
Men’s team captain Vincent Kompany accompanied his team mate Kevin De Bruyne along with Pep as they surprised more than 400 children.
They invited a group of football mad fans for an extra special treat in the hospital’s Teen Zone.
Ahead of the visit, the players pledged their support to the hospital by committing to fund a Health Measurement Kiosk which will help patients, families and members of staff calculate their heart age free of charge.
Earlier in the week, the women’s team split into groups and headed to The Christie, Francis House and Wythenshawe Starlight Unit to distribute gifts and see first-hand the specialist healthcare services being provided to children in the North West,
During the visits, players took part in creative art sessions, table tennis tournaments and organised animated foosball games with some of the youngsters.
Vincent Kompany said: “Whenever I visit the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital I’m blown away by the spirit and bravery of all the youngsters I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.
“It’s a difficult time of year to be spending in hospital, but the staff and volunteers do an amazing job and hopefully everyone has enjoyed today.”
City women’s team captain, Steph Houghton added: “It was a pleasure to take some time out of training to visit the children at the Starlight Unit.
“It was fantastic to see the smiles on their faces and a real honour for the team to be able to give something back to our local community.”
Manchester City’s hospital visits form part of the Club’s wider Christmas campaign where, earlier this month, local elderly residents and their carers were welcomed to City Football Academy for a special Christmas lunch and Club staff spent time volunteering at the Booth Centre, an organisation which provides support to homeless people in Manchester.