Picture gallery of first-teamers in the community
Neal Ardley and his players described their pre-Christmas visit to a children’s hospice in Hampton as an inspirational experience.
Neal and six first-teamers met hard-working staff, patients and parents at Shooting Star CHASE to spread Christmas cheer and gain an understanding of just how important a role the venue is for local children.
.Community DonsJust two weeks ago, the rest of Wimbledon’s squad visited St George’s Hospital in Tooting and if you missed our You Tube video on that event, click on
Ross Worner, Alan Bennett, Callum Kennedy, Charlie Sheringham, Seb Brown, Rhys Weston and Neal Ardley (left to right) are pictured at the Hampton venue and a gallery of photographs (pictures taken by Paul Willatts) is available above.
Neal Ardley said: “We spent about two-and-a-half hours there and it was good quality time. It showed what a fantastic job that the nurses do there and how strong the parents and children have to be in difficult circumstances. I have done things like this before and it provides a sense of perspective. Footballers are notorious for moaning about things, but when I’m going through a tough time and results are not going well I think of how lucky I am. I’m sure the players took a lot from the experience.”
Callum Kennedy was certainly one of those players and Wimbledon’s left-back was full of admiration for the hard work that is carried out on a day-to-day basis by staff at the hospice.
“I have a son of my own who is only a year old and this really touched me,” said Callum. “I would love to do more for the people there. The hospital staff are doing a fantastic job and it’s inspirational to see what goes on.”