JONNY Evans hopes to have lightened the burden of Christmas in hospital for the children of Sandwell.
Evans was joined by Ben Foster, Jay Rodriguez, Gareth Barry and Grzegorz Krychowiak as they toured Sandwell Hospital to visit patients on Tuesday afternoon.
With Baggie Bird in tow, our first-team stars played games, posed for photos and handed out presents to young children on the ward.
"You're always wary that it's a very personal thing being in hospital but we've been well received today," said Jonny. "The smiles show that the kids are delighted to see us and hopefully it gives them something to talk about through the day.
"It's always tough to be in hospital at this time of year. I'm sure everyone's trying to get home for Christmas. Hopefully we can provide a little bit of something different for them."
Our skipper struck up a patricularly strong bond with Baggies-daft Dougie, a young patient who'd made it his mission to put a smile on the face of every Albion player. And Jonny was blown away by his positivity in the face of spending the festive season away from home.
"He seems like the hospital character! You can see he was dressing up and the staff are very proud of him.
"You can see the personal struggles that people are going through but children like that are able to remain positive and it can have an effect on everyone."
Ward Manager Sharon Hale was full of praise for the visiting Baggies, hailing "an amazing experience" for the children.
"The children have had a fantastic time. They've really enjoyed it and it's been an amazing experience for them," she said.
"It's a sad time for any child that's in hospital at this time of year. It's nice to give them a little something extra to raise their spirits. The players were great. They were friendly and really good with the children. It was amazing."
Following the hospital visits, the entire Albion squad travelled to The Hawthorns to attend Baggie Bird's Brigade Christmas party and help spread more Christmas cheer.