Players, staff and parents from West Ham United’s Academy have donated dozens of toys to The Salvation Army this Christmas to distribute to children who could otherwise not receive a single gift.
Academy players donated presents to the Church and charity’s Christmas present appeal and visited their headquarters in Newington Causeway, London last Thursday to hand over the gifts.
Josh Cullen, Kyle Knoyle, Alex Pike, Djair Parfitt-Williams and Lewis Page were on hand for the present handover and Cullen was delighted to do his bit.
He said: “It was Terry Westley's idea at the Academy to collect some presents, and all the staff and players chipped in to bring them down to Rush Green.
“We took them to the Salvation Army HQ this week to give to some under-privileged children, who could wake up on Christmas morning with no presents at all.
“We thought if we could make a difference to a few children, then it would be a nice thing to do.
“Christmas is about giving as well as receiving, so if we can examples as role models it's a special thing to do.”
Commissioner Clive Adams, head of The Salvation Army in the UK and Republic of Ireland, received the donations and said: “This is an appeal that we do every year, all across the UK and Ireland. We are focusing on people who, at Christmas time, do not have the means to give their children any toys.
“So the children who will be receiving the toys that you so kindly donated, will be receiving that toy as their only gift. It's a very special appeal to have, as we try to reach the people who are most marginalised.
“It's fantastic to see the West Ham players get involved, particularly as they are not the first team players, but the young players.
“It's important that we invest in the people who are going to end up being role models, that they learn the importance of looking outside of their own world, at a world where people struggle and to do whatever they can to help. That's a positive thing for them, and of course it benefits us. I’m impressed.”