Simon Cowell gives heartfelt message of thanks to supermarket for raising £5m

WELCOME news came this week for children’s hospices and families caring for a child with a life-limiting condition as long-standing Patron of the children’s palliative care charity Simon Cowell announced that Morrisons have reached £5 million pounds in their fundraising efforts for charity partner Together for Short Lives.

Together for Short Lives is the UK’s leading palliative care charity for children and young people who are expected to have short lives. The partnership with Morrisons, which started in February 2022, is raising vital funds for children’s hospices across the country and helping families make precious memories together. Together, they are also reaching out to those families across the UK who don’t know about the support they can access through the Together for Short Lives helpline and online family support hub, and in their local community.

Simon has been a Patron of Together for Short Lives for 14 years and having visited a number of children’s hospices during that time, he knows what a difference £5 million will make to the lives of families caring for a seriously ill child.

Simon said:

“As a proud Patron of Together for Short Lives, I am thrilled to announce that the Morrisons partnership has now raised over £5 million for families caring for a child with a life-limiting condition. This is such an incredible achievement and Morrisons colleagues, customers and suppliers should be extremely proud of reaching this milestone together. The work Together for Short Lives does to support families and the 54 UK children’s hospices that care for them is so important, so these funds will make such a difference. I cannot thank them enough for their amazing support.”

Colleagues at Morrisons stores across the country have been raising vital funds through many different ways such as in-store fundraisers, marathons, Treks, skydives and cycle rides. Many of the activities have been match-funded by the Morrisons Foundation which supports colleagues in raising money for charities including Together for Short Lives.

Morrisons customers have also played a part in this incredible milestone through cash donations in-store and online, and through purchasing products involved in the supermarket’s ‘Every Pack Gives Back’ initiative.

With the money raised:

• Over £3,250,000 will be given to local children’s hospices across the UK to provide vital care services.
• 20 Building a Legacy grants of up to £50,000 will be given to help children’s hospices with building renovations or to create fully-accessible play areas so that children can experience the joy and freedom of play.
• 382 families have enjoyed a Making Memory experience, enabling them to have the chance to make precious memories together.
• Three Community Support Workers have been employed for two years, helping to reach thousands more families that need support with accessing financial assistance, and local palliative care services.

Morrisons hope to raise £10 million by October 2024 so that Together for Short Lives can help every family caring for a seriously ill child get the support they need.

Together for Short Lives CEO, Andy Fletcher said:

“We are thrilled that Morrisons have reached this incredible £5 million pound milestone. It will make such a difference to the work we do with families and provide much-needed funds for local children’s hospices. A huge thank you to Morrisons colleagues, customers and suppliers from Together for Short Lives and the 99,000 children living with a life-limited condition in the UK.”

Morrisons CEO, David Potts said:

“We are delighted to have raised £5m for Together for Short Lives. Our colleagues and customers are dedicated to raising vital funds for local children’s hospices so that they can provide care to seriously ill children and help families spend precious time together.”