A COMMUNITY football club has been putting smiles on elderly people’s faces by writing hundreds of Christmas cards to give out.
Over 200 children for Henfield Football Club, near Burgess Hill, wrote over 500 Christmas cards to people in care homes in the area.
The cards and gifts have been delivered by members of the club’s youth teams to recipients including residents at Red Oaks and Upper Mead care homes in Henfield, Terry’s Cross care home in Woodmancote, people living in sheltered accommodation and to elderly locals who will be on their own this Christmas.
The children, who range from five to 14 years old, decided to make the cards as part of the club’s “score some smiles” campaign.
Players’ parents also supported the club’s appeal for donations to buy small gifts for the card recipients too, with around 300 gifts purchased.
Joe Penfold, co-chair of Henfield Football Club, said they were thrilled with the response to the card-writing idea.
He said: “It has been wonderful to see so many players making and writing cards to help bring some festive cheer to elderly people in Henfield.
“Many players spent lots of time writing cards that were tailored to the recipient’s particular interest, or drawing lovely pictures on the cards, which have been very gratefully received.
“We chose to write Christmas cards because often many elderly peoples’ friends and relatives, who they used to receive cards from, have passed away and they no longer receive many. We hope the cards have made lots of people smile.”
Sam Witherden, HFC’s other co-chair, said: “Being a football club is about much more than just playing football, it’s about being part of the local community. At HFC we have been part of Henfield since 1899 and scoring smiles from local people is as important to us as any match scoreline.”
Other community initiatives Henfield Football Club has taken part in this year include hosting a football family fun day, running activities at Henfield’s Christmas shopping night and taking part in the village’s Christmas tree festival earlier this month.
The club is based at the King’s Field in Henfield and is currently seeking planning permission for a new clubhouse to serve the community from Horsham District Council.
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