McColl’s join Morrisons in their target to raise £10 million for charity partner Together for Short Lives and children’s hospices like ellenor

Great news for families caring for a seriously ill child and children’s hospices like ellenor today as McColl’s convenience colleagues join Morrisons colleagues 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 ellenor. 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 like ellenor and help families treasure every moment they have together.

Morrisons and McColl’s will help us be there for families like the Stanley Family who has been supported by ellenor.

Isla was born with Gorlin syndrome, a rare disorder that causes developmental delays and skeletal abnormalities. At 4 years old she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour in her kidneys. An intensive 27-week course of chemotherapy followed. During this time, ellenor stepped in to provide vital medical care, as well as support the Stanley family in other ways.

Every week, ellenor’s nurses visited the Stanley home to change Isla’s dressings, take blood samples, and provide line care. Isla is now in remission and attends routine check-ups at the Royal Marsden Hospital.

Isla’s mum Gemma says:

“Cancer is never something you think your child is going to get. It was terrifying. When I heard hospice, I immediately thought ‘end of life’ and ‘terminal’. I got scared. But then, ellenor explained that there’s a whole Children’s team – nurses dedicated to looking after young people, from the patients’ own homes in the community. When you get your head around the idea and realise all the other services ellenor offers beyond end-of-life care, it feels completely normal. ellenor is always there as medical and mental support.”

ellenor Corporate Partnerships Manager Jemma Kemp says:

“We are delighted to receive the news that this already fantastic partnership is becoming even stronger with the addition of McColl’s convenience stores. We share the same commitments of delivering great service to our local community and this unique relationship with a national brand, allows us to engage further with supporters via their local convenience store.”

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.”