Insight Corporate Newsletter
Welcome from the corporate team
Highlights from the last 6 months and what’s to come in 2024
Hayley says: It’s been a fantastic 2024 so far, working closely with our amazing partners on campaigns for the coming year and engaging with new contacts and businesses. We also started the year on a high with new team members, Katy and Kaitlin, joining the team (meet them below!)
Our Dragon Boat event remains a highlight of the year for me – we get to spend the day with supporters, having fun and getting to know them. Please read on to find out more about this event and some of the brilliant ways businesses have been supporting Alder Hey. We have a packed year ahead, with some great opportunities to work together, so please do get in touch if you’d like to find out more.
Katy says: I am so excited to have recently joined the Corporate Partnerships team here at Alder Hey. Since joining I have been lucky enough to have met lots of our wonderful corporate partners already. This year, I am really looking forward to attending my first corporate events along with working on some of our exciting campaigns and projects for 2024 - watch this space!
Kaitlin says: What an exciting first couple of months I have had here at Alder Hey! So far I've been busy working on our many events. I can’t wait to meet some more of our partners, and to experience some more of the magic of Alder Hey.
Play at Alder Hey
For many children and young people, hospitals can be an intimidating place, with unfamiliar noises and an absence of home comforts. Our Health Play Specialist team’s role is to ease the anxieties a child may face, whether it be simply coming into the hospital, having a blood test or a scan, having surgery or receiving treatment such as radiotherapy. Play and distraction therapies are powerful tools that help to build a patient’s resilience and overcome their fears.
At Alder Hey, we are dedicated to patient comfort and care. Sensory Voyagers help reduce stress and anxiety for our patients, helping them to reconnect with the world around them with calming lights, sounds and a variety of tactile elements.
It is often used as an aid for sensory experiences for long-term patients who have never been able to experience this in the outside world. With the voyager being portable, it is so much easier to transform their own personal space and let them choose which lights and projections they would like, as some children cannot always
access a specific sensory room in the hospital due to infection or medical needs. It can also be used by staff for some younger patients who are struggling with sedation weaning, enabling a calm and relaxed environment for them or for when their families cannot always be around.
The Sensory Voyager helps with social interaction between patients, particularly after the difficulties of Covid. It’s widely accessible for all ages and allows them the freedom to play and be children – not just a patient. The Sensory Voyager is beneficial when it comes to alleviating anxiety that children and young people may feel in hospital - it’s such a pleasure to see them enjoying themselves and having fun.
Play Specialist, Emma
Clapham
Our partnership with Alder Hey is so valuable to each and every one of us at Aimia Foods. We’re proud to contribute to such a vital project, and to support the exceptional efforts of the Health Play Team.
Alex Darby, HR Manager
Spotlight: Liverpool Airport
We shine a light on the incredible support we receive from one of our industry partners. This issue, we say thank you to:
Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
In November 2023, 10 intrepid colleagues from Liverpool Airport trekked across three mountain passes, covered 36 miles on foot, and faced infamous challenges such as Dead Women’s Pass to complete the Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu, helping to raise over £52,000 for Alder Hey.
Our partnership with Liverpool John Lennon Airport started in 2016. Since then, colleagues from across the organisation have helped to raise over £280,000 for Alder Hey Children’s Charity and have recently reached their target of raising £100,000 for our Surgical Neonatal Appeal. Their support of this appeal will help to fund enhancements to a parent's room, allowing parents to stay alongside their poorly newborns while receiving expert care. The team has organised several events throughout the year, from cake sales to car boots and everything in between! Members of the Airport Fire Service, together with a number of colleagues, rolled up their sleeves to wash over 750 cars during several car wash events during the summer.
Carol Dutton, HR and Commu n ity Director
This continues to be a fantastic partnership for the airport and for our colleagues, many of whom have been really keen to support such an important charity, knowing the amazing work that Alder Hey does and with some having had either first-hand experience or knowing friends and family who have received Alder Hey’s support over the years, caring for a young family member.
For many colleagues, they have had personal experiences of the care provided by the incredible Alder Hey Children’s Hospital team. Craig Mitchell, who is a Crew Manager at the Airport Fire Station, was one of the work colleagues that took part in the Inca Trail Trek and knows how much this fundraising is needed. He explains when his son was 2 years old he was involved in an accident at home, which resulted in a serious head injury needing specialist facial plastic surgery. Craig and his family are extremely grateful for the care and attention they received during a very difficult time. Whilst fundraising for the Inca Trail trek Craig took on the personal challenge of tackling a 5k whilst wearing full fire service equipment as part of his fundraising… not an experience he admits he would try again! The organisation was also supported by some of its amazing airlines and business partners to host several raffles and events during the year in aid of the charity, including one to commemorate the Airport’s 90th birthday.
In April we welcomed the Liverpool Airport team including the CEO, John Irving, to Alder Hey to celebrate the £100,000 they have raised for our new Surgical Neonatal unit which is currently under construction and to hear how their support will be making a direct impact to the families we support.
When I signed up to take part in the Trek, I was extremely nervous and doubted that I would ever be fit enough to complete. With the challenges of altitude, to get to the top of ‘Dead Woman’s Pass’ was where I had set my goal, as it is the highest point of the Inca Trail. Although the Trek was tough, I could not have asked for a better group of people to trek with and will have memories that I will never forget. Being able to raise an amazing amount of money for such a worthy cause made it all worthwhile.
EmmaRegan, Community Coordinator
Thank you to everyone at
for their amazing support of Alder Hey!
Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Dragon Boat Festival 2024
On a sunny Saturday in May, 16 teams and hundreds of supportive spectators gathered at Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre, Liverpool, with one goal in mind; to raise an incredible amount of money for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. The method of doing so? Dragon Boat racing.
Our 4th annual Dragon Boat Festival returned this year, with fiercer competition and more money raised than ever before. With the sun shining over Crosby Marina, our Corporate Partnerships Officer, Becky Parsons, took a moment to reflect on what has become one of our most iconic events: “This is always one of my favourite events. Every year I’m blown away by the energy and enthusiasm of the teams, and this year has not disappointed!
Seeing teams return year after year is really special and I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone for making the day another remarkable success.
I took a moment this year to stop and look around, and there were so many familiar
16 teams joined us for the 4th annual Dragon Boat Festival at Crosby Lakeside, raising over £42,000 for the hospital.
line-up was very competitive! All our racers did incredibly well. After four competitive and hard-fought heats, only four teams remained:
Lucky Oars, Oar We There Yet?, Liv’s Donald Ducks, and Turner and Townsend.
We would like to say a huge, huge thank you to all our teams, sponsors, spectators, volunteers and staff who came down to show support, to raise money and to make a difference to our hospital. With your support and hard work we raised an astounding £42,000! We look forward to welcoming all of you back next year!
faces. Everyone was having a great time, catching up with colleagues, friends and family and I felt really proud to work for a charity that brings so many people together for such a great cause.
Our big events would not be possible without our hardworking volunteers. We would like to say a big thank you to Zoie, Rob, Sarah, Anna and Neil from BNY Mellon Pershing, who have thrown themselves into the day, and Ellie and Abbie Moores-Pearce, who have provided amazing support over numerous events. And not forgetting Ann and Janet, our queens of the car park. With a mixture of returning teams, looking to beat their PB and get a podium finish, and new teams looking to make their mark, the
The final was incredibly tight, with all four teams giving it their all to take home the coveted winner’s oar. However, there could only be one winner. The 2024 Dragon Boat Festival champions are… Liv’s Donald Ducks!
Congratulations to Liv’s Donald Ducks on their fourth win in a row, an incredible feat.
Liv’s Donald Ducks reaction to winning for a fourth year in a row!!
Jaguar Land Rover’s Viking Defenders emerging on the water through the morning mist
It’s a good day out, raising money for a good cause. It’s all about the kids at the end of the day, and fundraising events like this really help
The Viking Defenders – Jaguar Land Rover, Halewood Drums at the ready… The Dragon Boat Festival will return in 2025
Alder Hey Community Physios bringing their own Hawaiian umbrella! That’s attention to detail we admire!
National Impact at Alder Hey
At Alder Hey, we work hard to ensure that our children and young people have access to the best possible care, as and when they need it. Together, with the unwavering support of our generous partners, we are striving to remove barriers to children accessing vital healthcare at a critical time in their lives, and are working towards a happier, healthier and fairer future, where every child can reach their full potential.
However, we are facing more and more demand for our services.
The UK government states that currently 4.3 million children are living in poverty* and many more are suffering the consequences of inequality in society, which will have a significant impact on both their health and future life prospects.
We have so much more work to do.
*Source - Children in low-income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2023, DWP, 2024
There is growing recognition that corporate strategies must address global challenges such as poverty and inequality. With the ongoing shift from traditional CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programs, to the need to create strong ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) Frameworks, organisations are now focussed on demonstrating their commitment to sustainable practices, whilst having a positive social impact on the local and wider community. Partnering with a charity, like Alder Hey, whether through staff fundraising or commercial partnerships, enables your organisation to make and demonstrate this impact.
We have a window of opportunity to improve the lifelong health of a whole generation and we are committed to advocating for children on a national and global stage, using our expertise and reputation for excellence. By partnering with us, you too can help make a huge impact.
If you’re interested in having a discussion around your ESG framework and building a meaningful and impactful partnership, please contact
Bring magic to Alder Hey this Christmas!
Our families, visitors and staff regularly tell us that there is a special feeling when you walk into Alder Hey and this couldn’t be more true than at Christmas. Every year, with the help of our donors, our hospital transforms into a festive wonderland for our children and their families.
From our 22ft Christmas tree that takes centre stage in our main atrium, to Santa’s Grotto and our welcoming twinkling lights, we want all children to experience that special Christmas magic from the moment they walk through our doors.
hayley.thomas@alderheycharity.org
For all of our families Christmas is a chance to make long lasting memories. This is why we need to make sure that each and every Christmas at Alder Hey is as special as it can be.
This year, we will once again be offering our partners the opportunity to get involved and sponsor some of our special Christmas moments.
Christmas is a special time of year all over the world, and at Alder Hey it is no different. We have a responsibility to try and make the season as magical as possible for everyone, but especially for our children, young people and families. Often, they may be with us at a time of year when they would want to be anywhere else but in hospital and being able to provide them with even a moment of happiness, of surprise, of joy is so important. It is one of the many things that makes Alder Hey the outstandingly caring place it is.
Gill Kennedy, Events Manager, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
For Christmas 2024, we will have a variety of sponsorship packages available, ranging from £500 through to our ‘Headline Christmas Sponsor’ at £12,500. Packages will include further details on acknowledgement of your sponsorship along with, how your support is making a real impact to our patients and families over the festive period.
For more information on sponsorship opportunities including our Jolly Oli Christmas Concert, or if you are interested in supporting Alder Hey at Christmas in another way, please contact:
katy.armitage@alderheycharity.org
We are off to
Alder Hey Children’s Charity is bringing the magic of cinema to the children and young people of Alder Hey by creating our very own onsite MediCinema. The specially designed cinema will provide a fully immersive experience in a safe, calm, relaxed environment.
Cinema has the power to transport us to different worlds, away from the stresses and anxiety of everyday life. Many of our children look forward to seeing the latest superhero and animated films, and we want to share this unique experience with those receiving care at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Our cinema will give our young patients a truly immersive red carpet experience; they will be transported to magical worlds far away from their hospital treatment as they approach our bright and colourful entrance. The space will provide the opportunity for children and young people to socialise away from the ward and provide magical experiences for the whole family. For children who may be immunocompromised or have
specific needs, we will be able to host personal screenings for them and their families. The cinema will have space for multiple beds or wheelchairs, and it has been designed so that everyone can experience the magic of cinema.
Sarah Mitchell Head of Support, Skiddle Ltd
If you would like to support us in helping to create magical moments for our children and young people, please contact:
£10 could pay for a child or young person to attend a screening
Skiddle is thrilled to support the MediCinema Appeal which brings the magic of cinema to the children and young people under Alder Hey’s care. By creating an onsite MediCinema, those under care can fully immerse themselves in the magic of cinema in a safe and calm environment, stepping into the worlds shared by their favourite characters and leaving the stresses of everyday life behind. We're really looking forward to seeing the completion of MediCinema and for patients and their families to experience the enjoyment it's going to bring. could pay for an entire MediCinema screening could pay for a rainbow seat in the cinema could help pay for a family to experience the magic of cinema together
ellie.freestone@alderheycharity.org
Being in hospital can be challenging for children and young people and they can miss out on so many aspects of a normal childhood. Going to the cinema can be something we take for granted, and we will all have happy memories of not just the film but sharing that experience with others. Having a cinema within our hospital means we can give those children and young people who can’t usually go to the cinema the opportunity to still have that magical movie experience. We also plan to run special screenings for some of our parents and families. It will make a massive difference to everyone here.
Nathan Askew, Chief Nursing Officer at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
£350
£50
£370
Bag Ladies Afternoon Tea and Handbag Auction
Now in its third year, the annual Bag Ladies event, created by Sarah Robinson (Ludlow Wealth Management and Alder Hey Children’s Charity trustee) and Sadie Sharples (Shawbrook Bank), brings together 150 women in business from across the region.
With bubbles on arrival, guests enjoy a delicious afternoon tea before hearing an update from Alder Hey and how support from organisations in our region makes a direct impact on the patients and families we support each year.
This year the guest speaker was Lisa Cooper, Director of Community and Mental Health at Alder Hey. Lisa is passionate about her role and spoke openly about a special project the Charity are supporting called Bella Bags. The afternoon’s main event is a live auction of donated designer handbags - a combination of pre-loved and brand new. Designers this year included Mulberry, Balenciaga, Fendi and Jimmy Choo, to name just a few! We also had some celebrity bags donated by Denise Welch, Ruth Langsford, Katie Piper, Sally Dynevor and Sheree Murphy.
Hosted this year at Oh Me Oh My, our designer handbag auction has become a favourite fixture in our diaries.
Our auctioneer was the very funny (and very brave!) Kevin Duffy, from RSM. Kev’s brilliance ensured the event raised as much as possible and we look forward to welcoming him back in 2025.
A special mention goes to Cricket (@cricketfashion) for donating a stunning Alexander McQueen handbag as the star prize in our raffle, and Harvey Nichols for donating a Mansur Gavriel bag for the auction. We also had prizes generously donated by Whittles, Panoramic 34, Casa Italia and many more.
The Bag Ladies event is such an incredible day to be part of! It stands out as something unique in the calendar. So many people pull together to make it happen, and there is such a lovely atmosphere in the room. We are so lucky that our lovely ladies show up and support this event year after year, and I can only see this event getting bigger!
Thank you to Sarah Robinson and Sadie Sharples for creating such a brilliant event that brings together an incredible community of female business leaders and supporters of Alder Hey Children’s Charity.
If you would like to support next year with a pre-loved designer handbag, please contact the team!
Becky, Alder Hey event organiser
2023 in a nutshell
Over 2,600
Over 3,000
Around 5,000 virtual appointments attended each month oncology admissions in 2023 6,928 6, 928children
Over 13,000 brave young patients from outside Liverpool needed our expert care each month of the young people who needed us each week were teenagers
Meet
a Business Ambassador: Greg Johnson
Our Business Ambassadors represent a variety of sectors. They’re well connected in the business community, successful in what they do and Alder Hey holds a special place in their hearts for many different reasons. They offer valuable support and guidance to the team, are involved in ideas sessions to help drive us forward and have introduced us to many new contacts. This issue, we’d like you to meet our ambassador Greg Johnson! Greg is the Managing Director of Warwick Development Northwest and is passionate about supporting Alder Hey, and leaving a lasting legacy.
What do you like most about your job?
With over 120 employees at Warwick North West, one of the most satisfying parts to my job is that I am able to help grow and nurture talented people. If I can offer leadership to my team and enable them to reach their full potential in their careers as a managing director, that gives me great pleasure.
What’s your background?
I had 15 years of grounding and experience before taking over as Managing Director at Warwick. I started my journey working on our factory shopfloor making windows before
moving to office admin, then sales estimating, and spending time in our accounts department.
I am extremely grateful for the grounding I had.
What do you think has been key to your success?
At Warwick we have a saying. What do we make? We make windows and doors yes, but what is also important to us as a business is that we make a difference too. We want to use our platform to give back to our community and city region.
Are there any charity partnerships that have caught your eye?
The one that always comes to mind is Alder Hey Children’s Charity and Matalan, what a fantastic partnership that has been and long may it continue. Me and my family had our traditional family photo in front of the Christmas tree with our Oli PJs on for Christmas eve.
The Alder Hey mascot is Oli the elephant. If you had your own mascot, what would it be?
My kids love my Oli pin and shout ‘There’s Oli’ whenever I have him on my lapel! My own mascot? Hmm, I’d have to go for a giant window of some sort I think, wouldn’t I!
Where would you like to see Alder Hey Charity in the future?
Alder Hey is world leading. I think in terms of future mission I can see Alder Hey using its world leading platform to help other organisations, through collaboration and partnerships we can tackle children’s health inequalities as more of a preventative measure, creating a healthier happier future generation in the process.
What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve been given?
“Surround yourself with a great team and great people” - I am very fortunate to have that at Warwick. What 3 skills do you need to succeed in business?
Leadership is the most important one I thinkdon’t be a boss, lead by example. Communication - it is vital that your team is on the same page as you. Lastly, relationship skills. Be real, be youpeople buy from people. What are the 3 words you would use to describe Alder Hey? Love, togetherness, special.
We simply could not do what we do without YOU! Thank you to everyone who has supported us and continues to champion Alder Hey. Together we are making a real difference to the children and families Alder Hey supports.
HAYLEY THOMAS Head of Corporate Partnerships hayley.thomas@alderheycharity.org
ELLIE FREESTONE Corporate Partnerships Manager ellie.freestone@alderheycharity.org
BECKY PARSONS Corporate Partnerships Fundraiser becky.parsons@alderheycharity.org
KAITLIN GERMAIN Corporate Partnerships Assistant kaitlin.germain@alderheycharity.org
KATY ARMITAGE Corporate Partnerships Fundraiser katy.armitage@alderheycharity.org Alder Hey Children’s Charity, Eaton Road, Liverpool, L12 2AP www.alderheycharity.org
© Copyright 2024 Alder Hey Children’s Charity. Registered Charity Number 1160661