A FOOTBALL linesman who was inundated with hospital visitors after collapsing with a heart attack has decided to visit lonely patients this Christmas.

Blackburn United linesman and community stalwart Sufyan Patel, 40, said his recent stay at the Royal Blackburn Hospital opened his eyes to the number of people who go unnoticed at this time of year.

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The IT consultant ended up in a hospital bed after suffering chest paints during a match in November.

The dad-of-two had regular visits from family members, friends and members of the football club during his stay and noticed that other patients did not.

Mr Patel, who has lived in Blackburn for more than 30 years, said: “I was getting around 50 to 60 people coming to see me every day, everyone I knew came to see me.

“My family visited a lot, along with the lads from the club and other people from volunteer projects I have taken part in.

“Other patients were shocked, they told me they’ve never seen anything like it and asked if I was famous.

“They told me they rarely got anyone coming in to see them because they had no family.

“One lady told me her daughter admitted said she was going to see her ‘when she had time’, which made me realise I wanted to do something.”

Mr Patel, along with his wife Hamida, 40 and children, Adnaan, 11, and Mohammed, seven, decided to make hampers filled with seasonal gifts to give to the elderly patients during their visit.

Mr Patel said: “It was a really good day.

“My family really enjoyed giving out the hampers and it made everyone feel good.

“One of the patients, former Blackburn with Darwen councillor Ronald Todd was spending his first Christmas alone this year and was really chuffed to see us and get his hamper.

“I wanted to make sure they didn’t feel forgotten.

“It’s not just about Christmas, these people would appreciate this all year round and I would encourage everyone to take part in something like this.”