Aston Villa and Scotland captain John McGinn made a surprise visit to a hospice in his hometown ahead of the World Cup, offering support following his grandfather's passing.
The Scotland international discreetly dropped into St Margaret of Scotland Hospice in Clydebank to spend quality time with patient Keir Cleminson, having initially intended to send him a video message. However, in a heartwarming move that left staff and patients deeply touched, 'Super' John McGinn determined there was "nothing like real life" and turned up personally, accompanied by his mum Mary and his Europa League winning medal.
A hospice spokesperson told the Record: "John was originally going to do a video message for one of our patients, Keir. Then, yesterday morning, we got a lovely call saying John was just going to pop in and see him because there is nothing like real life." John spent around 30 minutes in the hospital and much of it with Keir. They had a brilliant chat together and John even took some photos for Keir's young kids. "He even spent a good bit of time with the staff. His presence really lifted the spirits in the ward."
McGinn was born and brought up in Clydebank by his parents Stephen and Mary, where he was educated at St Columba's High School and St Peter the Apostle High School. The visit follows just days after he spoke with pride about a large mural of himself appearing near where he was raised. His brothers, Stephen and Paul, are also professional footballers, while his grandfather, Jack McGinn, formerly served as both Celtic's chairman and Scottish Football Association president before his passing last year at St Margaret of Scotland Hospice.
The spokesperson continued: "The hospice holds John and his family very dear to our hearts. His grandfather, Jack, used the hospice before he sadly passed away. John has been very connected with the hospice since then. His mum, Mary, is a real source of support and inspiration for us all. She is the person who made it all happen yesterday and we can't thank her enough. John really lit the place up."
"It was so organic and in the moment. As a hospice, we work to try and build special memories for our patients and John delivered one of those. We know why he is called super John McGinn." The hospice strives to create as many cherished moments as possible for its patients, including arranging for Keir to attend Celtic's title-clinching match against Hearts. They added: "Celtic have also been great with us as a club. They even offered Keir and another patient the chance to attend their final game of the season. It was so special."
The heartfelt visit comes as the hospice presses ahead with plans to construct a new specialist palliative care unit. The facility is expected to reopen within the next month following a nine-month closure, with staff having worked tirelessly from another part of the hospice throughout this period while urgently appealing for donations to fund the project. The spokesperson added: "John even did a wee video for us to drive up support. He has been so helpful. We are working very hard and John has been so good."
