Leeds United players Adam Forshaw and Barry Douglas spread cheer on visit to young heart patients

Leeds United stars Adam Forshaw and Barry Douglas spread a little love as they paid a Valentine’s Day visit to some of the city’s bravest youngsters.
Leeds United stars Barry Douglas and Adam Forshaw make a new friend during the hospital visit.Leeds United stars Barry Douglas and Adam Forshaw make a new friend during the hospital visit.
Leeds United stars Barry Douglas and Adam Forshaw make a new friend during the hospital visit.

Forshaw and Douglas dropped into Leeds General Infirmary yesterday in support of the club’s charity partnership with the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF).

The players handed out chocolates and spent time chatting with a number of the young patients receiving treatment in the hospital’s congenital heart unit.

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Forshaw, who is a Leeds first-team ambassador for the charity partnership, said: “Me and Baz have loved coming here today, it’s always really difficult to see what the families are going through but at the same time we love coming and hopefully putting smiles on people’s faces, taking their mind off what they’re all having to go through.”

Speaking to United’s LUTV in-house television station during the visit, the midfielder added: “We’ve both got young kids ourselves and we just couldn’t imagine being in their place, they’ve been telling us everything they’ve been going through and how much the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund supports them and it’s great for us to see first hand – especially on Valentine’s Day, which I know is special to them all through the heart link.”

The CHSF took to Twitter to thank Forshaw and Douglas for stopping by, saying it had been “great” to welcome them to the unit.

Leeds fans on social media also praised the pair, with one, @Mockingbird_71, tweeting: “That is what community engagement is all about! It fills my heart with pride to see players going to see kids who are ill in hospital and need that mental lift.”

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United are aiming to provide new equipment such as life support and dialysis machines on the back of the partnership with the CHSF.

Other funds raised will go towards the refurbishment of the CHSF family unit at the LGI.

Leeds are also laying on a series of money-can’t-buy experiences at Elland Road and their Thorp Arch training ground for young heart patients and their families.

An online donations page can be found by searching for ‘all leeds all heart’ on the Just Giving website.