Super Saints take trophy on tour of our services

Last week St Helens’ Rugby League Club celebrated topping the Betfred Super League by giving staff and people supported by charity, Community Integrated Care, exclusive access to the coveted Super League trophy. The charity, which supports over 100 people with a variety of care needs in St Helens, is the main sponsor of Saints Star, Danny Richardson, whose awe-inspiring final whistle kick clinched the team a dramatic last-minute win over rivals Warrington Wolves on Thursday evening.

The trophy-tour day got off to a flying start at the Saints home-ground, the Totally Wicked Stadium, which plays host to an Autism Day Centre run by Community Integrated Care. Saints mascot, Boots, led the way, taking staff and people supported at the Day Centre onto the hallowed turf for a photograph with the trophy – including a few selfies with Boots too! From there it was on to Eccleston Court Care Home – a fitting venue given their Saints “Wall of Fame” – proudly displaying pictures of players past and present.

Joe, 78, a resident with dementia at Eccleston Court and lifelong Saints fan, was well and truly in the spirit, giving everyone a rendition of ‘When The Saints Go Marching In’! He even shared a few passionate memories of former players. The trophy ended its tour by popping into the support services office of the charity in Widnes, where passionate Saints fans rushed from their desks to capture a quick glimpse and meet Boots the mascot.

All-in-all the charity took full advantage of the trophy visit, with over 100 people getting up close and personal with the famous silverware.

Dan Blaney, Assistant Service Manager at Eccleston Court, summed up the visit: “Our residents were over the moon by the Saints visit with the Super League Trophy – they haven’t stopped talking about it since. Seeing the smiles on their faces was second to none – especially when Joe started singing! Days like today really do make us proud to have a community partner like Saints.”

Samantha Brennan, Regional Director at Community Integrated Care, added: “Our partnership with Saints really does help us deliver exceptional opportunities and experiences for the people we support and our colleagues. We are proud to sponsor such an amazing young talent like Danny Richardson – he is an incredible ambassador for the Club, regularly visiting our services and taking the time to make our people feel so special – they absolutely love him. The reception in the stadium and at Eccleston Court just shows the incredible impact Saints can and does have on the local community”.