The striker was the guest of honour at a special school assembly, after Blackburn Rovers had come to their rescue.

When St James' Primary School in Darwen suffered structural damage in a fire, the club's Community Trust stepped in to help.

Classes were held at the stadium's Education Department, whilst PE lessons were hosted at the BRIC. Rovers even provided a minibus service, shuttling the children to and from the school.

As a token of their appreciation, excited pupils presented Jason with thank you cards and a choreographed dance.

The 30-year-old striker then refereed a 5-a-side football match, before officially opening the school's new 'Wobbly Bridge'.

Headteacher Susan Cliffe said: "Vandals set fire to lead in the roof, causing the sprinkler system to activate, which damaged our sports hall floor.

"Thankfully, the hall is all sorted now and it looks great. I don't know what we would have done without the help of Blackburn Rovers - we are so indebted to them.

"They have been absolutely fantastic and the pupils and staff are eternally grateful. To be given the offer of unlimited access to the facilities at Blackburn Rovers was extremely generous and the children really loved being involved with the football club.

"We wanted to thank everyone who was involved for coming to our rescue and writing a card just wasn't enough!"

Jason, who has his own foundation which provides a range of sporting opportunities for young people in the UK and Grenada, said he was humbled to be invited to the school.

"It's a pleasure for us to get involved and give something back to our local community," he said.

"All the players at Blackburn Rovers acknowledge this responsibility, because you simply can't put a price on the impact a visit like this can make."