McColl’s and Morrisons are working together to raise £10 million for charity partner Together for Short Lives and children’s hospices like Keech Hospice Care.
McColl’s convenience colleagues are joining Morrisons in their fundraising efforts to raise £10 million by October 2024 for charity partner Together for Short Lives.
Together for Short Lives is the leading UK charity for children’s palliative care and supports the UK’s 54 children’s hospices, including Keech Hospice Care, which cares for children in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes.
Morrisons chose Together for Short Lives as their charity partner back in February 2022, and are working together to help raise vital funds for children’s hospices and help families treasure every moment they have together.
Families like Bianca Boldeau-Levy’s from Flitwick, whose 18-month-old daughter, Breanna, is supported by Keech Hospice Care. Bianca explains: “Breanna has Microcephaly – a condition where a baby’s head is smaller than it should be because the brain hasn’t developed properly during pregnancy. I wanted to feel like a ‘normal’ mum but my experience of mother and baby groups wasn’t good. Because Breanna looks different, we’d be left out. I felt frustrated and alone.
“I self-referred myself to Keech Hospice Care by completing their online form. At that moment, everything changed. Two specialist nurses came to my home to meet me and Breanna. They took the time to really listen and understand what we both needed.
“Our first visit to the hospice was for a play session. All the children had different needs, which is something the mums all had in common. For the first time, I felt understood. I know I’ve become a better mum because I have support from people who are going through the same thing.”
Liz Searle, CEO of Keech Hospice Care, says: "Children’s hospices in England, like ours, only receive around 30% of the funding we need from the Government. For the remaining 70%, we rely on the generosity of the public to volunteer, buy clothes from our charity shops, and take part in fundraising events. It is therefore extremely welcome news that McColl's and Morrisons have teamed up and pledged to raise such a large sum in support of hospices who care for seriously ill children and their families."
The past fifteen months has seen Morrisons colleagues, suppliers and customers across the country raising vital funds for the partnership through all sorts of incredibly creative and innovative activities.
With convenience colleagues now joining the pledge, the partnership continues to go from strength to strength, ensuring that every family caring for a seriously ill child in the UK gets the support they need.
Together for Short Lives CEO, Andy Fletcher says: “We’re so thrilled to welcome McColl’s convenience colleagues into our charity partnership with Morrisons. The partnership has already made such an incredible difference to the families we support and the 54 children’s hospices that care for them. We’re really looking forward to working with convenience colleagues and seeing the difference their fundraising will make.”
Joseph Sutton, Convenience, Online and Wholesale Director for Morrisons says: “Over the last three years, our McColl’s convenience colleagues have done an outstanding job in fundraising for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH). We’re now delighted that convenience stores will join in our pledge to raise £10 million for Together for Short Lives who make a positive difference supporting families caring for seriously ill children in local communities.”
