BURNLEY FC players delivered Christmas cheer to children’s hospital wards.

The players, along with manager Sean Dyche and club mascot Bertie Bee, visited Burnley General Hospital and Royal Blackburn Hospital,which now houses the area’s major children’s ward.

Team captain Ben Mee led the contingent of players visiting the Lancashire Women and Newborn centre at Burnley.

He said: “It’s a nice time of year to give back and put some smiles on some faces.

“I think the adults enjoy it just as much as the kids, they work as hard as anyone and it’s nice to be able to come here and do that for them.

“The club’s a massive part of the community, everyone’s enjoying it and you can tell by the vibes around the club and it just shows that we’re moving forward in the right direction, and we want to keep on building that sense further and even stronger.”

After Saturday’s goalless stalemate away to Brighton, the Premier League outfit sit sixth in the league with 32 points, two points away from a Champions League spot.

Mr Dyche said it was great to visit the children at the hospital.He said: “It’s a nice thing for the players to play their part in the community, they do it all season, but I think it’s even better at Christmas.

“We’re building on the work done by the Community team, led by Neil Hart, and he and his staff are doing a brilliant job.

“Sometimes footballers get done down a little, but they do some good things too and our players have a healthy respect for their profession and especially this side of it, when they can play a part in their community.”

The youngsters were all given presents from the players and got to chat about their favourite players and memorable matches.

Belgian midfielder Steven Defour who is also a father, said: “It’s very important to bring a smile, even if it’s a little one, to a kid’s face.”