St Mirren Women teamed up off the field as they helped to box up luxury hampers for vulnerable Buddies.
The Saints returned to the SMiSA Stadium on Tuesday night to fill gift boxes that will be delivered on Christmas Day to people in the community in need of support.
The team’s head coach Kate Cooper has always been involved with St Mirren Charity Foundation’s Festive Friends campaign, which has delivered food, presents and friendship for several years.
And she believes the current crop of players getting involved will give both them and people in Paisley a big boost over the festive period.
Cooper told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “The women’s team has always been involved with delivering Festive Friends and we always want to keep that going.
“We’ve seen first hand how important it’s been for so many people over the years. Initially it was held at the stadium on Christmas Day. For people, often on their own, to be able to come in and get a hot meal and some friendship at the club was massively important.
“Due to the pandemic we switched to takeaways and deliveries and that allowed us to help many more people.
“We could only fit 100 into the stadium space, but last year we did 176 in total and hopefully we’ll increase that again this year.
“It’s important for the players to realise the positive impact they can have in the community.
“The Foundation have done a great job and we’re so happy to have been a part of it again.
“The players did their secret santa on the night too, so it was a good team bonding exercise overall.
“They’re a tight-knit group already and this kind of event can help build the relationships up even more.”
The Buddies are hoping to end their eventful year on a high this weekend in what is their final fixture of 2022.
They welcome struggling Dundee West to Mossedge on Sunday afternoon, with the players determined to finish the year with a flourish.
Cooper said: “We’re hoping for a strong performance in what will be a tough game. The girls are determined to finish on a high after a brilliant few months.
“It’s a chance for us to look at the squad, so there will likely be some rotation to keep everyone connected and engaged.
“It’s a long time until our next competitive fixture, so hopefully we can finish the year with a win and then build on everything
we’ve achieved so far early in 2023.”
READ MORE:
Don't miss the latest Renfrewshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here
