Wolves players spread Christmas cheer at RWT

Date of release: 13 December 2023

Wolves players entered into the festive spirit to spread some Christmas cheer to young patients in Wolverhampton.

Craig Dawson, Mario Lemina, Pedro Neto and Tommy Doyle from the men's squad and Wolves Women midfielders Tammi George and Merrick Will turned into Santas and donned Wolves hats to hand out sacks of gold and black-themed presents to provide children with a special surprise at New Cross Hospital, part of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT).

The four first-teamers, who are preparing for Sunday’s Premier League game at West Ham, plus the ladies, chatted to youngsters and their parents on a tour of Children’s Wards A21 and A23, plus Paediatric Assessment Unit.

Defender Craig, a father of three children under eight himself said: “It’s always good to come in and give children a little gift.

“It helps the children and hopefully brings them and their families a bit of joy at a difficult period for them, especially at this time of year.

“At this time of year kids should be excited for Christmas, and, as a parent myself, the last place you want to be with your child right now is in hospital, so it’s great to see the smiles on their faces.”

Sophia Bowdler, aged six, from Essington, is an outpatient undergoing chemotherapy for glioma (cancer in a growth of cells) in her optic nerve and received Wolves teddies from Craig and Tommy.

Between 2019-21, she was a regular inpatient receiving chemotherapy when Wolves players gave out Christmas presents and she received a video message, a Wolfie teddy and scarf and a goody bag.

Every time she came in for her treatment, she wore her Wolves scarf and brought her teddy. But because of the COVID-19 restrictions, she couldn’t meet the players in-person. This time she did.

Her mum Michelle Bowdler said: “It’s wonderful to see the players because they’re local and our family are huge Wolves fans. We’ve just had Nellie, a French bulldog puppy who’s 16 weeks old and Sophia went to the club shop and got her a Wolves jumper.”

Patient Renu Ram, 17, from Wolverhampton, was one of the first to see the players. “It’s really sweet of them to come and I think it really boosts morale,” she said. “We really appreciate the work they’re doing for the community.”

William Hayward, 11 – no relation to legendary former Wolves owner Sir Jack Hayward – forgot his poorly hip as he met him and his family’s heroes.

“It’s great to see the Wolves players,” said William, from Codsall. Mum Helen Hayward, whose dad Graham Reacher, 79, is a Molineux season ticket holder, added: “I’m absolutely blown away to meet them! It’s lovely to see the smiles on the kids’ faces from seeing them.”

Wolves fans Kristie Cliff and partner Kieron, from Rugeley and Lichfield respectively, were with their three-month-old baby Roman Cliff, who has feeding problems. Kieron, a South Bank regular at Molineux, said: “We didn’t realise the players were coming – Roman’s cousin is a massive Wolves fan so we can’t wait to tell him we’ve seen them!”

Wolves midfielder Mario, a father of three, said: “It’s really good for us to see the kids and make them happy when they’re going through a difficult situation. “Hopefully by bringing them some gifts, they will feel positive and it will give them and their families some happiness. It’s a really nice thing for us to do.”

Kingsley Hazel-Richards, aged three, has undergoing chemotherapy for leukaemia for six days. He and his mum Charmaine Hazel-Richards are distantly related to former Wolves defender Bob Hazell.

“It was such a pleasant surprise to see the players because we’ve been so busy with Kingsley’s treatment this week,” said Charmaine, whose son Jovonte attends Wolves games. “Bob Hazell is my grandad’s nephew but our respective spellings of the surname have got changed over the years!”

Amanda Winwood, RWT Charity Development Manager who arranged the visit, said: “It was wonderful to welcome the Wolves players to the hospital and see the smiles they brought to children and their loved ones.”

ENDS

• For further information, please call Tim Nash on 07714 741097 or email tim.nash2@nhs.net