Member Article

£3,000 boost for Ronald McDonald House from StJohns

St Johns Shopping Centre has donated £3,000 to Ronald McDonald House, following the sale of its Christmas decorations.

While the rest of us confined the Christmas glitz to the loft for another year, the team at St Johns Shopping Centre set its sights on selling its decorations in the hopes of gifting the profit to Ronald McDonald House.

And the sale of the decorations for £3,000 meant a significant boost for RMH, which is funded entirely by charitable donations. Ronald McDonald House provides free ‘home away from home’ accommodation for families with children in intensive care or high dependency at the hospital. The house at Alder Hey is the largest Ronald McDonald House in Europe.

Centre director at St Johns, Ian Ward, was appointed a member of the board of trustees at Ronald McDonald House in 2014, and this donation is the latest in a string of supporting activities carried out by St Johns.

Ian, whose now 22 year old daughter was born with a hole in her heart, said in 2014 that he couldn’t refuse the invitation to join the board after visiting Ronald McDonald House.

Today he comments: ’We are always looking for ways in which we at St Johns can lend our support to RMH, and swapping our decorations for a cash donation was an easy decision.

‘I have seen first-hand the impact which a donation like this can have on RMH. While individual fundraisers raise a fantastic amount for the house, it is often corporate donations which really help to keep it running. As a father and a businessman, it’s impossible to ignore our responsibility to contribute to vital services like RMH.’

Ed Oliver, chairman of Ronald McDonald House at Alder Hey, adds: ’The £3,000 donation from St Johns is a huge, huge boost for us. It really is fantastic news.

‘Ronald McDonald House is a lifeline to 84 families who are all in despair, as their children are critically ill and their lives have been turned upside down. Funded entirely by donations, we are able to support these families, providing a place for them to live together, on the doorstep of the hospital. They just don’t need to worry about the practicalities of having to stay at the hospital – we take that stress away.

‘The more donations we receive from supporters in the business community, the better the service we can provide.’

Ian Ward adds, ‘On another note, we are very excited about the brand new Christmas decorations which we’ll be launching in 2016. We think everyone will be talking about them. Watch this space.’

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by St Johns .