22 April 2023 , 19:13
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England footie ace Ollie Watkins shows he has netted a friend for life in fan Woody Stokes.
The Aston Villa forward, 27, became pals with the 10-year-old after he waited more than 90 minutes for him to sign an autograph at former club Brentford.
Since then, Ollie has welcomed the lad – who has Down’s syndrome and autism – into his box at Villa Park, brought him onto the pitch and even popped round to his house to deliver Easter eggs during the pandemic.
Ollie said: “It’s more than just him being a fan… we’ve got a close little friendship.
“He is involved with a charity called Skylarks, so I support them too.”
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McDonald’s Happy Readers with Ollie Watkins at Birmingham Bullring shopping centre (Matthew Pover)Ollie recently teamed up with McDonald’s to back its Happy Readers campaign and the firm is giving London-based Skylarks 5,000 books at his request.
The firm has also pledged to give two million free hours of footie coaching this year, a cause close to Ollie’s heart.
Ollie Watkins on the pitch (PA)He said at the Happy Readers and Fun Football event in Birmingham: “When I was growing up, there was a park coaching session every Saturday but my mum and dad had to pay for that and it was difficult at times.
“There were sessions I had to miss them because my parents couldn’t afford them.”
Find out more at mcdonalds.co.uk/family