The Ospreys made a special Christmas visit into the Children's Wards at Morriston Hospital, Swansea, on Monday.
Skipper Ryan Jones headed up a party of 30 players that spent an hour touring the ward to hand out special Ospreys and RWE npower renewables goody bags to the young patients as well as signing autographs and posing for photos.
The visits are now a firm fixture in the Ospreys calendar, with the players looking forward to bringing some festive cheer to those in the region who need it most. The whole squad are involved in the visits to children’s wards which has also seen players visiting the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend..
Ospreys captain, Ryan Jones said:
“The visit to Morriston Hospital was a huge success. The whole squad always enjoys meeting some of our younger fans and spreading a little Christmas cheer, which is why we feel it is important for the club to make these hospital visits a permanent fixture on the Ospreys calendar. We always look forward to doing what we can to brighten up the children’s day in the build up to Christmas.
“We all realise that the least we can do in our privileged position is to give up some of our spare time to help to put a smile on the face of a sick or injured child.”
The Ospreys, who face Italian side Viadana in an important Heineken Cup match on Saturday at the Liberty Stadium, are hoping that their fans who are fortunate enough not to find themselves in need of medical treatment this weekend, will come along and support the side in this crucial European fixture.
Paul Thorburn, Strategic Development Manager at the Ospreys, commented:
“Our commitment to the whole region is not only about what happens on a rugby pitch, either at the Liberty Stadium or one of the many rugby clubs throughout Ospreylia, it is about the community as a whole. This commitment runs right through everybody involved with the Ospreys and it is the players themselves who come to us at this time of the year asking when are they are going to be visiting the children’s wards.
“I know that there are a number of children whose unfortunate stay in hospital will have been made just a little more bearable by the visits and they be able to show all their friends the pictures of the day, which I’m sure they will cherish for a long time.”