Lancs stars play Santa with visit to hospital

LANCASHIRE players, coaches and staff visited the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital to help spread some Christmas joy as they dropped off presents for patients.

The Red Rose squad took time out of their busy winter training schedule to distribute some early Christmas gifts, which were donated by the Stretford branch of Tesco.

Former Lancashire captain Steven Croft said: “This is the third time we’ve visited the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and every year, I’m blown away by the spirit and bravery of not only the kids, but also the incredibly hard-working staff.

“Coming to places like this means a lot to us and we’re very proud to play our part in the local community.

“As a cricketer, we’re in a privileged position and, hopefully, we’ve spread some Christmas spirit at a difficult time of the year for the kids and their families.”

Sarah Naismith, head of charities at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We were delighted to welcome the cricketers to our hospital to meet some of our young patients and help spread some festive cheer.

“Unfortunately, there will be many children who will be spending the Christmas period in hospital, so visits like this really do make a huge difference in brightening their day.

“I’d like to say a big thank you to Lancashire for taking time out of their busy schedules and thinking of us at this time of the year.”