Hartlepool United players continue 'rewarding' work in local community

First team players Joel Dixon, captain David Ferguson, Emmanuel Onariase and Callum Cooke were all in attendance to help spread the Christmas cheer on Teesside recently and they were joined by academy duo Joel White and Millen Burnett as Hartlepool continued their work in the local community.

Players visited the children's ward to take photographs and hand out presents before speaking to elderly patients and wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas. The trip to North Tees hospital comes not long after manager John Askey surprised students at West Park Primary School where he was the guest judge in their sports kit design competition before taking part in a Q&A with the children.

Last year, former Hartlepool defender Jamie Sterry helped raise substantial funds for the Hartlepool foodbank in a raffle as the club continues its community reach. And for defender Onariase, the club’s work in the community has been particularly rewarding since he joined the club from Dagenham & Redbridge this summer.

“It was a really rewarding visit,” Onariase said of the visit to the university hospital of North Tees.

"Seeing people raging from six-weeks-old up to 16-years-old, it was really good to see the impact you can have on young kids. It was a really special moment. We spent a bit of time there going around the different wards seeing different patients. It was really rewarding.

"This is probably one of the few clubs I’ve been at who are really big on community visits which I think is really good. The community is really important and it's good to inspire people and see the effect you have on the community, so it’s really good and I'm happy the club is active on it. I always enjoy those visits.”

Onariase has been a key player for Hartlepool this season and the defender is now readying himself for a busy Christmas period of his own on the field.

"It’s always special [the Christmas period],” he said. “There’s always a lot of games. Hopefully we’ve got the squad for it and we can get as many points as possible.”