Chiefs cheer up youngsters during Xmas hospital visit

Exeter Chiefs may be gearing up for a busy festive period of fixtures, but on Wednesday members of the first-team squad took an afternoon out to pay a special festive visit to the Bramble Children's Unit at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital.
Players Neil Clark, James Hanks, Mark Foster, Alex Brown, Dave Ewers and Aly Muldowney took on the role of Santa Claus for one very special afternoon and made their annual visit to the local hospital to spend time with youngsters who are facing up to the prospect of remaining on the wards for Christmas and beyond.
After finishing their preparations for Saturday's Aviva Premiership clash with Gloucester, the players - along with other club officials - departed Sandy Park just after lunchtime and arrived at the RD&E armed with a stack of presents and clutching a few goodie bags filled with Chiefs merchandise to distribute to children on the wards.
Among the children on the ward was young Ryan Edwards, who has been fighting neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer, since he was just two-years-old. 
He has beaten the disease twice already, but sadly the disease has again returned. Ryan’s immediate treatment will be life-saving radiotherapy and chemotherapy to try and shrink the new tumour on his spine.
For Neil Clark in particular, meeting up with little Ryan and members of his family was particularly poignant as the Chiefs hooker has chosen the 'Ryan Edwards Appeal' as one of the two charities he will be supporting during his current Testimonial Year.
Neil said: "You have mixed emotions coming here because it's nice to put smiles on people's faces and try and cheer the kids up, but some of the wards are really tough. The cancer and intensive care wards are really difficult to cover, but we enjoy coming here and spending some time with the kids.
"For us as players and also as parents ourselves, it's about giving something back to people who are suffering around Christmas time. We aim to cheer the kids up, give them a few presents and try and bring a smile to their day. It's something that's very important for all of us at the Chiefs."