Sheffield Wednesday ‘make nine-year-old’s year’ with simple touch at busiest time of season

So when a an envelope bearing the badge of Sheffield Wednesday arrived through the door of the Lazenby household earlier this week, nine-year-old Joshua was shocked to see his name on it.

It had been sent on behalf of the Owls by the club’s media team, and is an example of the little touches Wednesday offer from time to time to supporters who have done good.

Joshua had spoken out against a friend who had been the victim of bullying both at a local football club and at school.

And the short, simple letter sent from the football club he loves so dearly put a skip back in his step after a difficult few days.

“He’d mentioned it so many times to the school and nothing got done,” explained Joshua’s dad Lee.

“Other kids had seen it, they daren’t do anything but he just said ‘Dad I couldn’t stand there and do nothing, it’s not right.’

“The letter came the other day and he was just absolutely over the moon with it. He was running round with it and he said it had made his year.

“It had a badge on the envelope, he didn’t know what it was and he just couldn’t believe it.”

The letter arrived just a few days before the season kicks off against Portsmouth on Saturday.

Within minutes, Lee was framing the photo and pinning it on Joshua’s wall. He said the timing especially impressed him.

He said: “It just shows they care. They care about the community and their supporters, they care about what’s going on and recognising what people are doing.

“Especially for the kids, it shows a standard and a recognition that there is no room for bullying. It shows to Joshua that everything he’s done and being brave enough to do something, that it does count and that people do care.

“There will be loads of other instances like this that don’t get posted on social media and the club don’t do it for likes or whatever, they do it because they know they can make a difference to someone like Joshua.

“That’s not the reason Joshua did what he did, but it’s a nice thing the club have done at the busiest time of the season.”