Costcutter raise over £1,000 to support families with sick children in hospital with free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation

Nationwide convenience store operator Costcutter Supermarkets Group has raised over £1,000 for The Sick Children’s Trust to keep families with seriously ill children together in free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation.

The Sick Children’s Trust runs ten ‘Homes from Home’ across the country, three of which are located at specialist paediatric hospitals in Yorkshire: Leeds Children’s Hospital and Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

This year The Sick Children’s Trust was voted as the ‘Charity Choice’ by Costcutter Head Office, based in York. The money raised through various fundraising activities will provide 36 nights of accommodation to families in need of a ‘Home from Home’ when their child is undergoing specialist treatment in hospital. Jennifer Steel, Brand Manager at Costcutter Supermarkets Group, said:

“Costcutter Supermarkets Group feel very strongly about supporting charities and good causes close to the hearts of our retailers, shoppers and colleagues. At the start of each year, we ask our Head Office colleagues to nominate a charity that means something to them. Part of 2017 was dedicated to supporting their charity of choice - The Sick Children’s Trust, and this fundraising was done as part of their Local Pride charity initiative scheme.

“We have been delighted to support such a wonderful organisation that makes such a difference to families with seriously ill children in hospital. The charity’s Eckersley House in Leeds, along with its ‘Homes from Home’ in Sheffield and Newcastle, supports many families from York whose children are rushed to the surrounding specialist hospitals. Being close to your loved one when they are in hospital is vital, and The Sick Children’s Trust makes that possible.

“Many fundraising activities have taken place, from dress down days to bake sales, which have all contributed to this fantastic total. As a company, we are passionate about giving back to the community, but also as individuals we really want to help and make a difference within our Head Office!”

Over the last year, The Sick Children’s Trust has supported 900 families from Yorkshire with free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation. The charity’s Regional Fundraiser in Yorkshire, Cassandra Hughes, said:

“As a charity we rely completely on voluntary donations to keep our ten ‘Homes from Home’ across the country running. Although the accommodation is provided free of charge to families with seriously ill children in hospital, it costs us £30 to support a family for one night in a ‘Home from Home’. That’s why we are so grateful to everyone at Costcutter Supermarket Groups for voting for The Sick Children’s Trust as chosen charity and raising over £1,000 for us.

“Every year, we support around 4,000 in our ‘Homes from Home’ but we are noticing that the demand for accommodation is increasing as more children need to be transferred to specialist hospitals for lifesaving treatment.

“On behalf of all the families we support, we’d like to say a huge thank you to Costcutter Supermarkets Group for their generosity and helping to keep families together, just minutes from their sick child’s hospital bedside.”

For further information about The Sick Children’s Trust, please visit: http://www.sickchildrenstrust.org/