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Ħamrun Ħanin inaugurates multi-sensory room at SGPC Guardian Angel Secondary School

Ħamrun Ħanin, the social arm of Ħamrun Spartans FC, has officially inaugurated a multi-sensory room and a calm room at Guardian Angel Secondary School – San Ġorġ Preca College in Ħamrun, bringing to completion a community-wide fundraising campaign.

The rooms, designed to provide a supportive environment for children and young people on the autism spectrum, are the result of a collaboration between Ħamrun Ħanin, the Autism Parents Association (APA) and Guardian Angel Secondary School, part of San Ġorġ Preca College. The school provided the space, while APA contributed professional guidance on the planning and design of the rooms.

The campaign had brought together players, technical staff, sponsors, journalists, band clubs and, most importantly, supporters, including fans of other clubs. initiative culminated in Ħamrun Spartans wearing specially designed shirts during an FA Trophy match, with the signed jerseys subsequently auctioned to raise funds. Supporters purchased special shirts, while players donated their match-worn signed gear for auction. Together, these efforts raised the €12,000 initially targeted for the project.

Ħamrun Ħanin Chairman Ian Debattista said the inauguration marked an important moment for an organisation founded on the belief that sport can be used to create positive change in the community.

“An activity that started with a meeting of 10 people who dreamed about how sport could be used to do good in the community has become a reality. Today, all the money raised from so many people has been transformed into this project, and we have fulfilled the promise we made.” Debattista thanked Guardian Angel Secondary School Head Elizabeth Pisani, Mr Lino Borg and the many individuals who contributed their time and expertise to the project, as well as the Housing Authority for providing additional funding which allowed the organisation to open not only a multi-sensory room but also a calm room adjacent to it for the benefit of the school and the surrounding community.

In his address, Mr Debattista re-iterated his call towards other clubs and sporting organisations to join forces in the Sports Unity initiative where similar projects can be implemented on a larger scale.

The inauguration was attended by former President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, Minister for Education and Sports Byron Camilleri, Minister for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector Julia Farrugia, Opposition MPs, the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkiye to Malta Barkın Barkın Kayaoğlu, representatives of the Malta Olympic Committee, and other distinguished guests. The new multi-sensory room was blessed by Fr Hilary Tagliafero, founder of the Millenium Chapel and best known for his long contribution to sport.