Colchester United's players and staff have paid a visit to children on the Community Foundation's first Summer Camp.
Taking time out of thier busy pre-season schedule on Wednesday afternoon, the squad signed autographs, answered questions and had photos with the children on the weeklong camp at Shrub End.
Ben Garner and his staff, (Scott Marshall, Dave Huzzey and Jake Marques), were also in attendence and chatted with Foundation coaches and children on the camp.
U's captain Connor Hall was pleased that the squad met all the children, saying: "We were at the stadium on Open Day for the supporters and they came out in their numbers."
"And this is just another occasion for us to meet the kids in the community that will hopefully be at the ground and cheering us on this season.
"We were kids once upon a time, and we used to do these camps, it was surreal to meet people and get their autographs – now we’re on the other side of that and we’re giving back to the community."
Jayden Fevrier added: "When I was younger, I always used to try and meet as many players as possible, so it’s good for the kids to see us and believe that it’s possible to be where we are."
"I met a few Arsenal players when I was younger and I was star-struck really, but it made me feel like I wanted to be there one day too."
The Community Foundation's Bradley Swain said of the camp and the player visit: "The last few days have been amazing, we’ve had around 100 kids each day playing football and there’s been plenty of prizes up for grabs too.
"The first team came down and the kids really enjoyed it – the best day of camp. It’s always a big excitement when the players come down and visit us."
The second of the two weeek long summer camps will take place later in the school holidays, starting on Monday 14th August.
To book for this second Summer Camp, click HERE.