Ambassadeurs Group
Les A hike the Yorkshire Three Peaks for Ronald McDonald House Charity
Fundraising for Ronald McDonald House Charities
Story
Our team at Les A will be doing the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, on 12th October, in aid of Ronald McDonald House Charity. The Challenge will involve hiking a 24-mile (38.6km) round trip route, and includes 1585m (5200ft) of ascent, all in under 12 hours. We've already raised ~£20,000 for the charity at our workplace, and are aiming to raise a further £19,000 through this Challenge
We're doing this in support of our friend and colleague Phoebe, who has only the best things to share about this phenomenal charity. Ronald McDonald House Charities UK provides free ‘home away from home’ accommodation to families with children having treatment in hospital.
Our goal of raising £39,000, will pay for three rooms for multiple families across a whole year, to be near their children in constant hospital care, relieving the hardship of travel and other difficulties.
Phoebe's story:
On the 8th of May our world was turned upside down when our baby boy, Bertie, arrived fifteen weeks premature. An infection, which was unknown to us at the time, had brought on pre-term labour. After being assessed at our local hospital we were immediately transferred up to St Thomas’ as they have a specialist neonatal unit that supports babies who are born under 28 weeks gestation.
Among many of the initial worries we faced, one of the first was how we would navigate spending as much time as possible with Bertie in the NICU. Our home in South East London was just under an hours commute away from the hospital, the journey back and forth every day would be exhausting and travel costs would quickly start to add up. We considered finding accommodation nearby, however this wasn’t a financially viable option given the central London location.
Several staff members at the hospital mentioned a Ronald McDonald Charity House located nearby which supports families whose children are being cared for in the Evelina unit of St Thomas’. We weren’t sure if we would qualify for a room as our home address was in a London borough. However, two days after Bertie was born, we received a phone call with good news that a room was available for us. Having not heard of the charity before we had no idea what to expect, but if it meant we could be close to Bertie we welcomed the opportunity with open arms.
Since our stay began 15 weeks ago, we’ve been blown away by the Ronald McDonald House Charity and everything it provides for families in similar situations to ours, all free of charge. The house has 59 en-suite bedrooms, most of which can sleep up to four people, plus a small number of rooms that can accommodate up to six people. There are also communal lounges, kitchens, washing facilities, outdoor areas and playrooms for children. Many local businesses and other charities provide the house with donated food, which makes life a lot easier after long days at the hospital. The amazing staff continually go above and beyond to make the house feel like a home away from home.
Our Bertie still has a few hurdles to face before he’ll be able to come home, but thankfully we are able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House until he is discharged. This truly incredible charity provides invaluable support to families going through a difficult time. Every donation, no matter how big or small, has a real life impact which we have witnessed first hand. Our mission is to raise as much awareness as possible for this deserving charity so that they can continue to help the families who need it!”