The Albion Foundation's Hawthorns Hub participants were handed a very special treat during September's Clash of the Legends charity match.
Those who attend the Hub on a weekly basis, which helps to combat loneliness in the local community, were given the opportunity to walk out with the Albion Legends as mascots at The Hawthorns.
A few weeks later during a Hub session, while the tea was flowing and the Battenberg passed around the group, we sat down with the participants to understand what made the day so “magical.”
“It was a very special day for me,” Sandra Hughes, long-time Hub participant recalled. “It started off by the luxury of being invited into a box by my friend Dave, that meant we met all of the players before.
"It was lovely to see everyone back and happy to be part of our celebrations.
“They were all big parts of the club for quite a few years. When it came to the time to be down in the tunnel, it was so exciting.”
The initial idea of being mascots was floated around at the weekly group as a joke among participants but soon became a reality. As one of the longest-standing Foundation-funded initiatives, those who visit to create such an inclusive environment in the media suite were due a reward, and to walk out with the Albion stars of yesteryear was just that.
“The players started coming out, and I’d drawn Simon Cox out of the players to be mascot for. I wasn’t disappointed in that,” Sandra added. “My friend Dave said, ‘I know you wanted Claudio [Yacob], so we can swap.’
“Paul Scharner asked me who I was the mascot for, so he called Claudio over, and he was very excited for me to be his mascot. He skipped his way out and we had a little dance on the pitch.
“I stood next to Shane Long, so we took some nice photographs. As I was walking on, I had a tear in my eye, I could feel the emotion of the whole event, the fans were absolutely wonderful – they applauded us off the pitch.
“I kept trying to think, ‘have I done anything better than that before?’ and the only thing I could think of was getting married and giving birth. But that was third, it was just magical.
“I think I floated on cloud nine for quite a long time. We were going on holiday the next day, we should’ve been going out on the Friday, but I couldn’t miss this game and I’m glad I didn’t.”
Jim Goode, 80, has followed Albion home and away for most of his life, and also ensures he attends each and every women’s game. For him, having this opportunity was one to “cherish”.
“Me being 80 this year, this kind of experience won’t happen again to me so I’ll cherish it,” Jim said. “The ex-players especially, they wanted to come and see us, they were very keen to speak to us.
“Every single one had a smile on their face while they were talking, it was a really genuine experience. It’s helped me a lot [The Hub], it started off when I joined the Memories Group.
“I lost my wife seven years ago, and she had dementia. I managed to bond with lots of people about that.
“Coming to the Hub, once you’ve come a few times, the people you meet, you always want to come back.”
A moment for our Hubbers to cherish. 🫶
Our Hawthorns Hub participants were mascots at today's Clash of the Legends match! 🥰 pic.twitter.com/uWJ1wnaELP— The Albion Foundation (@WBAFoundation) September 6, 2025
Though fellow participant Richard Cromwell had to use the fitness he gained by attending his walking football session in order to keep up with Hungarian great Zoltan Gera - the Hub, when he can attend, is a great place for him to be.
Richard explained: “Zoltan Gera was the last person to come down the tunnel; he was a little late coming down to get onto the pitch so we had to run. We had to do a bit of a run and I said to him, ‘shall we hold hands’, but he said I was a bit young for that.
“It was a great experience and I really enjoyed it. I’m here at the Hub today, it’s the chat with everyone that makes me want to come. The nice sausage rolls help, too.”
To find out more about our Hawthorns Hub and how to sign up, please click HERE.
