SERIOUSLY-ill children enjoyed an afternoon of activities organised by a Hampshire brewery.

Youngsters from Naomi House and Jackspace Children’s Hospice had a memorable afternoon at Hazelwood, the training ground of Aviva Premiership rugby club, London Irish.

The event was organised by Upham Brewery as part of its three-year sponsorship of London Irish, which began this season.

With the help of first team players, Jamie Hagan, Topsy Ojo and Tom Smallbone, the children, who suffer from either life limiting or life threatening illnesses, were given a guided tour of the brand new state-of-the-art training complex, before taking part in a rugby master class outside where they were put through their paces and taught the basics of passing and kicking.

The afternoon drew to a close with London Irish donating two signed Naomi House and Jacksplace Hospice branded shirts to the charity for auction, as well as some signed squad posters for the children to keep as a memento.

The visit was arranged after Upham decided to donate its shirt branding rights to Naomi House and Jacksplace at the European Challenge Cup game against Grenoble in France, where alcohol sponsorship is not permitted.

Paul Morgan, head of fundraising at Naomi House, in Sutton Scotney, said: “The children absolutely loved being part of the day and, from the charity’s perspective, its generated great awareness.

“We have to raise £7 million every year to run the charity, less than 10 per cent of which we receive from Government, so the support we receive from individuals, groups, businesses and trusts is crucial. Our fundraising ensures we can operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, free of charge. We would like to thank the team at Upham and London Irish for this wonderful opportunity to give the children a very special experience.”

David Butcher, Director of Upham Brewery, added: “We were delighted to donate the space on the players’ shirts for last week’s game to Naomi House and Jacksplace. The brewery is community-focused and a keen supporter of the charity and their commitment to helping both sick children and their families who have to contend with severe illness.”