Town defender Luke Chambers admits the club’s annual policy of pre-Christmas visits to local hospitals and hospices can provide a fillip to the players as well as a tonic to the patients.

Chambers and his team-mates have all dipped into their own pockets to provide the funds to buy and distribute gifts to youngsters unable to be at home with their families over the festive period.

He said: “For me it’s fantastic. I don’t think it’s nice to be in hospital at any time, never mind the Christmas period, and if we can go into hospitals and put a smile on people’s faces, fantastic.

“It’s something I look forward to every year — I did it when I was at Nottingham Forest — and it puts a smile on my face. I’ve got kids of my own now and I like going round the children’s wards, giving them a little bit of a boost.

“You have to get something from it. If you go into it in the wrong frame of mind it’s not a very good thing to have in the back of your mind, if you know what I’m saying. You have to go in and if you put one or two smiles on their faces it’s a fantastic feeling.”

Chambers, Andy Drury, Lee Martin and Aaron Cresswell visit the Rainbow Ward at West Suffolk Hospital last week

Meanwhile, Chambers knows how important this stage of the season can be regarding on-the-field matters with Town going into a busy run of Championship games prior to the FA Cup third round visit to Aston Villa.

He added: “It’s massive. I’ll see more of the lads than I will of my family over Christmas. Thankfully we’re going into it in high spirits but all we’re doing at the minute is focusing on every game that’s in front of us, getting a positive result, ticking it off and moving on to the next one.

“You can’t look too far ahead and the Villa game is not in anyone’s mind, or being spoken about, yet. It’s always a bonus, a break from the league, but you want to go into it in a positive frame of mind having had some positive results in the league.”

Photos: Action Images/Bury Free Press

Photo: Action Images

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