WHEN you are stuck inside the football bubble it is sometimes easy to forget there is a big old world out there.

Managers live and breathe the game every hour of the day, phone constantly on the go, players sleep, eat, train, play, repeat.

Even us journalists get swept along with it all at times. There are times covering Wanderers when days of the week blend together and I’m either ‘at work’ or in bed. I always find it fascinating, however, when you see the two worlds collide.

Placing a footballer into a challenging real world environment, as I witnessed accompanying Kaiyne Woolery around Derian House children’s hospice this week, gives a unique perspective.

I have been lucky enough to visit Derian House a number of times down the years including Wanderers’ regular Christmas present delivery.

To witness the amazing work that goes on there and see the reaction of the kids – particularly the Bolton fans – when their heroes come to visit is such a rewarding experience.

It is daunting. Many of the kids are very poorly indeed and it breaks my heart every time to hear their stories. But to view a place like Derian House so one-dimensionally would be missing the point entirely. It is a place designed entirely to provide happiness, comfort, rest and respect.

When Wanderers have visited en mass in the past, you can almost draw a line between the players who had children and those who did not. The dads would be down on the floor, helping to unwrap the presents and posing for photos. The likes of Kev Davies, David Wheater, Matt Taylor and Gretar Steinsson always had this kind of thing sewn up. Some of the younger lads or foreign players would keep a little distance, step forward only when absolutely necessary.

Notable exceptions I can recall to that rule were Stu Holden and Chung-Yong Lee – both of whom were excellent ambassadors for the club when it came to a visit like this.

I am now going to include Kaiyne Woolery in that exalted company too after watching the young striker do the club proud on Wednesday.

Goodness knows how many different community visits I have dropped in on but I’ll bet I’ve ticked off a fair percentage of Bolton’s primary schools, high schools, youth and sports clubs in order to get an off-diary chat with a player.

Whether it was painting walls with Gary Cahill, cooking with Daniel Sturridge, playing table tennis with Jussi Jaaskelainen or hockey with Adam Bogdan, I think it’s important the local paper highlights the work Wanderers do away from the pitch. And getting a chat away from the pressured after-match mixed zones often gives me a better chance to delve deeper into the players’ personalities and allow that to come across to the fans.

I could name some past players who would do literally anything to get out of doing a community appearance, and others who have let the club down at the last moment too. But I’m happy to report the current crop lack some of the ego that has gone before.

Woolery’s visit to Derian House, as many of you will know, came as a result of a bet with fan Luke Stones. The 21-year-old had been challenged to celebrate his next goal by doing “The Dab” (don’t ask) in order to get a £100 donation to the cause of his choice.

Of course he did it. And credit to Luke for coming up with the goods.

I tagged along as they both got a tour of the hospice’s facilities on Wednesday and I can only say their behaviour was a credit to the club.

A few days later I dropped in on David Wheater and Mark Beevers’ signing session at Bolton Central. Had the club tried this kind of thing last season I’d have been sceptical about what reaction it would have received. But judging by a healthy queue of fans – including one young lad who wanted to know if the two defenders were “really that tall” – some bridges are being mended.

It’s important to recognise that even in the most difficult times the Community Trust was still out in the schools and clubs of Bolton delivering lessons every day. They don’t get as much recognition as they deserve but without them, the club’s presence in the town would be vastly diminished.