The Wanderers’ management and playing staff have been out in force to spread some Christmas joy.
From the youth team up to first-team manager Ian Evatt and his senior squad, the Whites made their annual hospital and charitable visits to deliver gifts and meet staff and patients.
The youth team squad visited Urban Outreach Bolton – a Christian charity supporting the homeless and providing food for households in crisis – to help stack shelves and pack food hampers for delivery across the town and borough this Christmas.
The first-team squad then split three ways to visit the children’s ward of Royal Bolton Hospital, Bolton Hospice and Derian House Children’s Hospice in Chorley.
The players paid for presents they handed over, as well as chatting to staff and patients and those benefitting from the services being provided by each organisation.
Wanderers also made a contribution to help pay for gaming consoles on the children’s ward of the hospital, which will have a long-lasting benefit for in-patients.
Manager Ian Evatt joined the players at Royal Bolton Hospital in a group that included Kieran Sadlier, whose own prematurely-born son Luca is being looked after in the hospital’s neonatal unit before hopefully heading home for Christmas.
The manager said: “These visits are an important part of the Christmas calendar for us again, now that we are able to get out and about more post-Covid.
“We want to play an active role in the community, to give a little back to those who support us as a club and a team and who also need our help.
“Hopefully seeing the players raises spirits a little around Christmas for everyone requiring and connected to these outstanding local services.
“We are one club, one town, one community and following on from the success and impact of the Big Bolton Carol Concert, hopefully we have been able to bring a bit of added Christmas cheer.”
Club captain Ricardo Santos was among the players to visit Derian House, where they were given a tour of the hospice to meet youngsters, present gifts and join in an online football game.
“We just want these kids to have a good Christmas, have a smile on their face and keep everything positive,” said Rico.
“It is important to give back to the community. We’re a community club and we love to show that we care and they are all part of the football family.”