Zavon Hines was a guest of honour of principal partners SBOBET at a special fundraising event for Hospice Isle of Man - underlining that West Ham United's community commitment extends far and wide.
The England Under-21 striker took time out of his busy rehab schedule to support a worthy cause. Despite being 300 miles from east London, Zavon was given a warm reception - not least with many 'ex-pat' Hammers being based on the Irish Sea island
PR guru Max Clifford was the host of the gala evening, which ultimately saw £21,000 raised for the hospice.
"It was a good event and for a very good cause," Zavon said. "The hospice does a lot of positive work and caters for a lot of sick children and their families. Events like these are important as they help them raise the money they need to keep doing all the good work they do."
Zavon was joined by the club's Olympic project director Ian Tompkins, and both were seated on the Celton Manx [SBOBET] table.
Executive Director Bill Mummery said he was proud to be "a significant supporter of the tremendous work done by Hospice within the Isle of Man community" and donated a very special prize for the charity auction - an Executive Box experience at the Boleyn Ground.
He said: "It is our privilege to work with the team at hospice in their fundraising efforts and this function was the latest.
"To have the direct involvement of West Ham at these events not only helps our fundraising but also demonstrates the strong partnership between West Ham and SBOBET."
The hospice's Chief Executive Margaret Simpson also thanked the club for its backing. "We were delighted to welcome Ian Tompkins and Zavon Hines from West Ham to our annual dinner. Their presence along with Bill Mummery of Celton Manx Limited, definitely helped raise the fundraising endeavours of the event.
"As a charity that needs to raise £3.5m a year the support of SBOBET and indirectly West Ham is very much appreciated."
Anyone wanting more information about the hospice, should go to www.hospice.org.im
