Footie star Frank Lampard visits Hampton hospice (From Your Local Guardian)

Footie star Frank Lampard visits Hampton hospice

7:11pm Wednesday 17th December 2008 in Richmond By Chris Wickham

England football star Frank Lampard visited a Hampton hospice for terminally ill children.

The Chelsea midfielder was at The Shooting Star Children’s Hospice, The Avenue, last week to meet children, parents and care staff, hand out presents he had brought along, sign autographs and pose for photos.

His visit was part of a Team England Footballers Charity initiative working with Children’s Hospices UK to raise awareness of hospice services offered to children not expected to reach adulthood and their families across the UK and he admitted he was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere at the hospice.

“I loved visiting Shooting Star House and meeting the children and their families,” he said. “It was nice to put a smile on the children’s faces, but they also put a smile on mine too.

“I was a little bit nervous before coming here because it’s not always easy to visit children and young people knowing they might not reach adulthood, but it was a nice surprise to see what a lively place it actually is.

“Shooting Star House is a cheerful, inspiring place and you can really see the difference it makes to all those who use their care services.”

Dalton Leong, chief executive at the hospice, was grateful for the visit and said it put a smile on the faces of the families.