CHELSEA STARS SPREAD CHRISTMAS CHEER

The first team squad brought smiles to a host of young faces on Tuesday afternoon, visiting two children's wards at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, before returning to Stamford Bridge for the Bridge Kids Christmas Party.
The visit to the hospital had been kept a secret, so imagine the surprise on the faces of the kids and their families when some of the world's top footballers walked in bearing gifts!
Each of the squad toured the Neptune and Jupiter wards to meet their young supporters, leaving behind autograph cards and goodie bags.

Ashley Cole was delighted to help out at what can be a difficult time of year on the paediatric wards.
'We enjoy coming down, a lot of the guys have kids and it really makes you appreciate how lucky you are,' said the defender. 'This is something we really enjoy doing, so to spend an afternoon here is no hardship for us.
'We see these young guys who have barely started their lives and are in a bad way, so to see them smile having heard from the nurses that they've not smiled in days, it's exactly why we come here.'
One of the youngsters who got to meet some familiar faces from the TV was seven-year-old Alfie Heaver, who has travelled to and from the hospital from home in Oxfordshire since 2007. Accompanied by mum Jo, Alfie was particularly pleased to meet John Terry and Didier Drogba, who insisted on having a photo taken at his bedside.

Paediatric service manager Jo Lutkin helped arrange the visit, and believes it makes a big difference to the children and their families. 'It was a really good, exciting day for us,' she said. 'To have the Chelsea team come in is massive, so many of the patients are seeing their heroes come in through the door. We always keep the visits quiet so it is always a huge surprise, and they really, really enjoy it.
'We've been lucky to have this for the last few years so there is always a level of anticipation among the staff as well, and it's really nice when the day comes. Everybody here works very hard and to see this flash of excitement is fantastic for the staff that work here as well.
'The players are absolutely unbelievable with the kids.'
Once the hospital visit was over, the team arrived back at the Bridge and headed straight into Frankie's Bar and Grill for the Help a London Child Christmas Party.
Over 80 children and their parents awaited their arrival and they were soon mingling with the crowd, signing autographs and posing for photos. Johnny Vaughan was also in attendance as a die-hard Chelsea fan and patron of the charity.

Once they'd met everyone, the players hosted a special raffle with unique Chelsea memorabilia for prizes before making their way to the West Stand and the Bridge Kids Christmas Party.
Hundreds of young Chelsea fans applied for a place at the event but only a lucky few were selected at random. They were treated to an afternoon of fun inside the stadium, with a DJ, food and entertainment, as well as an appearance from Father Christmas ahead of the players.
Once there the football stars posed for photos and signed autographs once again before Frank Lampard and Cole each captained a two-man team in a special Chelsea quiz. Lampard's team was triumphant and young Daniel won a signed Chelsea shirt.

Source:chelseafc