Emile Heskey visits the children at school in Brimingham…

England and Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey kicked off the Team England Footballers Charity partnership with WellChild - the national charity for sick children – when he joined WellChild Children’s Nurse Jo Bennett and some of the children she cares for in the Birmingham area today.

Heskey joined WellChild Nurse Jo at the Wilson Stuart School and Sports College in Erdington, Birmingham for the afternoon – where he met young people and their families and took the chance to see the essential support provided to seriously ill children by WellChild Children’s Nurses around the country.

The visit was the first activity in an 18-month partnership which sees the Team England Footballers Charity supporting WellChild’s work right up until the end of the 2010 World Cup.

The England players will donate international match fees as well as their time to WellChild to help raise awareness of the charity’s vital services for sick children and their families as they cope with the consequences of serious illness and complex conditions.
Among the excited children who met Heskey was three-year-old Lucie Coles who was born prematurely and has since developed chronic lung disease and muscle weakness. WellChild Children’s Nurse Jo became involved with Lucie’s care when she was just eight weeks old, and she has been on hand for the family ever since.

Lucie’s mother Amanda said: “WellChild changed our lives. I really don’t know what I would have done without them. Jo has always been there whenever we need her to give invaluable advice and support. She really is our lifeline.”

WellChild’s team of children’s nurses provide care and support to seriously ill children and their families across the UK, many of whom have complex and long term illness, and need specialist equipment and medical support. As well as providing treatment for children, WellChild Nurses often assist families in setting up complicated care packages to allow their child to be cared for out of hospital and in the comfort of their home.

The team of WellChild Children’s Nurses are just one of the many projects funded by the national charity. In addition, WellChild doctors, nurses and researchers work tirelessly to improve the treatment and care of sick children – with WellChild research projects working in a wide range of areas including diabetes, liver disease, pain management in children, cancer, congenital heart disease, cystic fibrosis and inherited genetic conditions.