Presents and festive cheer gifted to Leeds Children’s Hospital by Northern
Train operator Northern arranged a very special delivery yesterday (Thursday 21st December) to bring some festive cheer to children at Leeds Children's Hospital.
Staff donated a range of fun-filled gifts to spread some joy to young patients during the festive season.
The presents, ranging from iPads, Nintendo Switches, Smart TVs and toys, were delivered by Father Christmas himself and his elves in a sleigh built specially for the occasion by Northern staff.
The event was organised by Patrick Cox, who works in Northern’s property team. Leeds British Transport Police escorted the sleigh to the hospital from Leeds station.
The gifts were donated by Northern and rail industry partners as well as the White Rose Business centre, Maybank Security and local rugby league community clubs. Laura Wilson, from Leeds Rhinos Girl's Academy, also visited the children and handed out sweets and presents alongside Leeds Rhinos players, and club representatives.
Kerry Peters, regional director at Northern said: “Christmas is a great time of the year – and there really is no better time to give something back to the communities we serve and are part of.
“Leeds Children's Hospital does fantastic work with extremely ill young people, and I’m delighted we have been able to support their efforts.”
The event was also supported by Matt Walker head coach at Dewsbury Moor Girls Team, West Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Fire Service and St John Fisher High School.
On Sunday 10 December, rail timetables across the North of England changed in line with the rest of the National Rail network. Customers are encouraged to use the ‘Check My Timetable’ feature on the Northern website for more information about their local station.
Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with nearly 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.