Hospital Charity Raises more than £6,000 with Festive Activities

11 Feb Hospital Charity Raises more than £6,000 with Festive Activities

A hospital charity raised over £6,000 with their festive activities, which included £5,000 from their annual Merry Miles fun run.

Networkin Nantwich advocate Mid Cheshire Hospitals Charity (MCH Charity), part of Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, moved their Merry Miles fundraiser online last month due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Merry Miles fun run normally takes place at Queen’s Park, Crewe where participants gather together to run, walk or toddle a mile. However, the restrictions on the number of people allowed to meet in outdoor spaces meant the charity had to get creative for the event to go ahead.

Fundraisers were invited to register online for the fun run and to complete their mile, or miles, over a two-week period.

More than 250 miles were covered by 121 people during the event, which the charity has now announced raised more than £5,000.

The fundraiser was again sponsored by Crewe based Alpha Omega Securities who joined the charity in 2019 to make the event bigger than ever.

Ken Lawton, Managing Director of Alpha Omega Securities, said: “I have been very encouraged by the level of support we have received for this event.

“As a sponsor I am delighted to have received this support, especially in these difficult and extraordinary times we are presently living in.

“I am thrilled that we have managed to raise a significant sum of money for the Lost Little Ones appeal.”

The Merry Miles virtual event was part of wider festive fundraiser which included a festive raffle, Wear It Festive Day, and an online virtual ‘Tree of Lights’ which gave people the opportunity to donate to the charity and leave a message for a loved one.

Emma Robertson, MCH Charity Manager, said: “As a team Christmas is our most favourite time of year for fundraising, so we were determined not to let the pandemic stop us. With some tweaking and creativity, we managed to do most of the events we normally do and then some!

“We were absolutely delighted with the response we had from our local communities and even though we couldn’t meet in person we felt really engaged with our supporters.

“As always, our thanks go to our fantastic sponsors at Alpha Omega Securities. Their support means that every penny raised through the Merry Miles event goes directly to our Lost Little Ones baby bereavement suite appeal and we’re now tantalisingly close to our £100,000 target.”

The Lost Little Ones appeal will provide the funds to create a dedicated suite and attached outside space on the labour ward at Leighton Hospital for people experiencing baby loss.

The suite will allow parents to stay together for a few hours or days with their baby in a comfortable, non-clinical environment to spend quiet time together away from the ward.

The Lost Little Ones appeal aims to raise £100,000 and was almost three quarters of the way to the target when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The appeal was paused whilst the Charity team supported the hospital trust to develop projects which have supported the health and wellbeing of staff.