Durham Cricket players and staff attended the Great North Children’s Hospital on Wednesday (18 December) to spread Christmas joy to children across the wards.
Durham’s Director of Cricket Marcus North visited alongside squad players, Chris Rushworth, Ben Raine, Matthew Potts, Matt Salisbury, Ben Whitehead, Gareth Harte, James Weighell, Paul Coughlin, Josh Coughlin, Nathan Rimmington and Jack Campbell.
The players gave out gifts, signed autographs, posed for photos and spent time with the children and their families who will be spending the Christmas period at hospital.
Durham Cricket Foundation Manager Josie Pointon – who helped develop a partnership between the Great North Children’s Hospital and Durham Cricket was also in attendance.
She said: “The Christmas visit to Great North Children’s Hospital is one of the highlights in our community calendar.
“It’s great to see our players making a positive impact and bringing smiles to the children’s faces.
“Any time spent in hospital is a difficult one, let alone during the festive season but today we’ve been able to spread some Christmas cheer.”
Durham Cricket all-rounder Paul Coughlin said: “It’s really important that we come along and spread joy at Christmas, it gives the children a little buzz.
“When we come in and give them presents,it gives the children a little buzz and something they can look forward to.”
Right arm quick bowler Matthew Potts added: ” The children are coming through a hard time, being in hospital with things not going their way, so it is nice to give something back to people that might follow the sport or just like sport in general.
“The presents we bring is to try and cheer them up along with books, autographs and memorabilia, it makes all the difference to them.”
Durham Cricket TV caught up with the players during Wednesday’s trip to the Great North Children’s Hospital.