SANTA Claus does not normally dress in blue, but some of his helpers obviously do.

Ipswich Town footballers Kevin Lisbie, Moritz Volz, Ben Thatcher and Owen Garvan, along with coach Steve Foley, were on hand to spread some seasonal cheer at Colchester General Hospital.

They visited the children’s ward, handed out presents and spent time chatting to youngsters, signing autographs and posing for photographs.

Former Colchester United striker Lisbie, who has five children himself, said: “It’s an important thing for us to do at this time of year.”

Rachel Leech, 11, of Penrice Close, Colchester, is recovering from an eye problem.

She said: “The players brought some great presents along and it was really nice to meet them.”

Claire Fisher, of Bishop Road, Colchester, who was on the ward with her 12-day-old son, Luke, said: “My partner and other two boys are football-mad, so they would have loved to have been here.”

Eight-year-old Alex Iveson, from Sudbury, who has a virus which has caused muscle damage, said: “It was a big surprise as I’m an Ipswich fan.”

In addition to individual gifts, a box of gifts was presented to the ward, including a DVD player, DVDs and a CD player.