Conor McLaughlin brightened up the afternoon for an entire school as he called in at St Anne's Primary School in Leyland as part of Brite-MatMouseMat.co.uk's player sponsorship package.
The Leyland-based bespoke mouse mat specialists are David Gray's official player sponsors for the 2011/12 season, but when the Scottish full back was unable to call in at the school for a Q&A session in the main hall, his main rival for the right back berth was on hand to step in and answer some inquisitive questions.
Talking to the children about his toughest opponents, favourite teams as a child, pre-match meals and even his choice of car, Conor also took time to pose for photos with almost the entire school and signed several team group posters for future use as incentives for well-behaved pupils.
Additionally, he handed over 50 tickets which formed part of Brite-MatMouseMat.co.uk's deal, allowing a lucky selection of fans from the school to come and see PNE's new year fixture against Wycombe Wanderers free of charge.
St Anne's were chosen as the lucky beneficiaries as a result of a family link between PNE, the sponsors and the school.
Steve Ward, managing director of Brite-MatMouseMat.co.uk, was enticed to take on a player sponsorship deal by his son, PNE's marketing manager Adrian Ward, so had no hesitation in selecting Adrian's old school as the venue for their afternoon of positive PR.
Steve told PNE.com:
"Our new website is a fast-growing operation, showcasing a particular part of our parent's company's product range.
"Working with PNE on a player sponsorship package is a good outlet to promote what we do, and were pleased to see such a receptive audience enjoying Conor's visit.
"We'd like to thank the school's headmaster, Michael Barrett, for being so accommodating and welcoming of the visit, and hope that the children enjoyed the visit from an educational viewpoint, before enjoying a fun day out at Deepdale in the new year with our compliments."
To sponsor your favourite player, call our commercial team on 01772 693311, but be warned that we're practically sold out of players for the season!
