Leeds United trio visit Martin House Christmas Party

Leeds United first-team stars Illan Meslier, Ilia Gruev and Josuha Guilavogui recently visited Martin House Children’s Hospice’s Christmas Party, spreading the festive cheer as they met up with children and their families that the charity supports.

Held at Wetherby’s Bowcliffe Hall, the trio took a number of Leeds United-themed soft toys and presents to hand out to the children, before meeting with those the charity supports.

There were plenty of smiles from the children as they posed for photos with their heroes and had their shirts signed, in what was a truly memorable afternoon for all involved.

Martin House provides family-led hospice carefree of charge for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses, with a highly specialised team offering care at two different sites, as well as bereavement support, and antenatal and neonatal provisions.

Robyn Mountain Wade, Director of Income Generation at Martin House, said: “It is a free service, and it relies hugely on the support and generosity of the public.

“Today has been our very special Christmas party, our annual event. Many of our families unfortunately struggle to do the most simple of things that we would do, like go and see Father Christmas, so we bring Christmas to them.

“Making moments that really last and treasured memories is vital for us at Christmas and that is what the Christmas party is all about.”

With Olaf, Cinderella and even Santa Claus himself in attendance, the event will live long in the memory of midfielder Josuha, who was inspired by the courage the children and their families showed, and the amazing round-the-clock support provided by Martin House.

“Today I think we can learn a lot from these kids and from these parents,” he told LUTV. “I am also a parent and you can see that it is not easy for them, but they are giving everything and it is just about love. So, I feel a big, big respect for them.

“When we came, they were really smiling, they were happy to see us and this means a lot to us. It is not just about football; it is about life and about helping each other. So as Leeds players, we are always really grateful to do this, and I think today is a good day to remember.”

Also there on the day was former England manager Gareth Southgate, who has been an ambassador for the charity for over a decade, seeing first-hand the wonderful and continued work of Martin House’s staff and volunteers.

“It is an incredible place,” he explained. “I have been involved with them for over 10 years and there are lots of Leeds fans, so to see the guys here supporting it is very important and means a lot to everybody.”

As the heartwarming afternoon came to a close, Ilia Gruev added: “We saw a lot of smiles from them and also from us. It is important for us. I think that is the reason why we do it, that the kids have a little bit of joy at this time. It is Christmas and something really, really big and special.”

More about Martin House can be found HERE. Photographs by Duncan Lomax, Ravage Productions.