Sliema Wanderers players and technical staff visited the Sliema Boys’ Junior Lyceum on Thursday morning in an activity which was meant to raise awareness towards Puttinu Cares.
Two Sliema players – Ivan Woods, a member of staff at the same school, and Matthew Bartolo delivered talks to students, explaining what is Puttinu Cares – its role, aims and what it had accomplished so far and how the club has been supporting the organisation over the past months.
The Puttinu Cares Children’s Cancer Support Group works on behalf of of children with cancer and their families as they go through this painful experience, supporting them in various ways. Puttinu Cares contributed heavily to the improvement of the environment of the Rainbow Ward at Mater Dei Hospital which is now beautifully decorated and equipped with games, TVs, DVD players and gaming consoles for children during their stay while undergoing treatment. The organisation has also acquired three apartments in London to accommodate the families of children who require cancer treatment in UK hospitals.
Since last year, Sliema Wanderers have been supporting Puttinu Cares taking part in activities to raise awareness about the organisation and its work. This includes players wearing t-shirts carrying the Puttinu logo and the “one goal, one team” slogan before Premier League League matches, players visiting hospital and homes, participation in activities and outings with children affected by cancer and participation in other activities including the annual Puttinu Cares Football Marathon. The Wanderers will also be making the Tigne Complex available to the organisation once it is handed to the club.
This awareness activity was concluded with a football match between a team made up of Sliema players and another formed by the school’s staff. This was followed by the presentation of a Sliema Wanderers t-shirt to a student – Jordi Zahra who won a chart competition focussing on Puttinu Cares. Students then had the opportunity to take the autographs of the players which were present.