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Duo Discover Toon Times With Local Club
Written by Newcastle Utd
Two of United's latest star signings discovered even more about their famous new football club on Thursday
Two of Newcastle United's latest star signings discovered even more about their famous new football club on Thursday by visiting a special Magpies exhibition with local youngsters.
Dutch internationals Siem de Jong and Daryl Janmaat, who made high profile transfers to Tyneside this summer, joined 20 children from Redheugh Boys Club at the Toon Times exhibition inside the city's Discovery Museum as part of their first community appearance for the Newcastle United Foundation.
The free exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the Club's long and colourful history and was specially commissioned in February 2014 by the Foundation - the Club's official charity - in partnership with Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums.
The exhibition has achieved record-breaking visitor numbers in excess of 200,000 people since opening, with more than 50,000 people flocking to its opening month. Thousands more visitors are expected before it concludes on Sunday, 5th October.
As well as enjoying a tour of the museum - one of the city's most popular attractions, the two players took part in a special quiz with the children at the end of their visit to test their knowledge on all things Newcastle United.
Siem, who was appointed as one of the Magpies' two vice-captains shortly after his arrival on Tyneside, said: "We had a fantastic afternoon meeting the children and looking through the exhibition with them. It was great to learn more about the Club that we're so proud to represent and to do it in a really cool way.
"One thing that is obvious about Newcastle United is how important the Club is to the people of the city. The passion is unlike most places.
"We've already learnt so much about the Newcastle United Foundation and what it does to use that passion to achieve great things and as players, we're really happy to support that."
With funding from the Premier League PFA Community Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund and North-East teaching agency First Class Supply, the Toon Times exhibition is the culmination of the Foundation's Toon Times educational programme, which is improving the learning techniques of 15,000 children across 430 Tyneside schools.
Complete with a replica players' tunnel, dressing room and fanzone, the exhibition embraces the Newcastle United Foundation's ethos of using football as a powerful tool for learning and community engagement.
Kate Bradley, head of the Newcastle United Foundation, said: "The Foundation relies on players such as Siem and Daryl generously giving their time to support our community projects so we're incredibly grateful to have had them here.
"The Toon Times exhibition has been an overwhelming success and has really brought the educational aspect of what we do to the fore. The children loved meeting Siem and Daryl and learning more about the club they love, and we hope they'll take that enthusiasm back into the classroom as they continue with their education."
Gavin Ferry, the Toon Times project coordinator, added: "We are all exceptionally proud of the exhibition we have created at the Discovery Museum and the number of visitors shows just how good the exhibition is.
"We set out to take Newcastle United to the fans and we have more than achieved that through our outreach program and the exhibition. I would encourage anybody who has not already been to the exhibition to get along and see it before it closes."
To find out more about the Newcastle United Foundation and how it works with 50,000 young people and their families across the region each year, visit www.nufoundation.org.uk.
The Discovery Museum is located in Blandford Square, close to St. James' Boulevard, and is open from 10am-4pm midweek and 11am-4pm at weekends. Admission is free.