Simon Cowell hails supermarket partnership as local children and families set to benefit

Hundreds of families cared for by Acorns Children’s Hospice across the West Midlands are set to benefit thanks to a major supermarket partnership.

Supermarket chain Morrisons have announced a fundraising total of £5 million for charity partner Together for Short Lives (TfSL) – an amount which will be distributed by TfSL across the UK’s children’s hospices, including Acorns.

The partnership, which launched last year, aims to raise £10 million for children’s hospice care by October 2024, an amount Morrisons is working towards through staff fundraising and by giving customers opportunities to donate in-store and online.

Pop mogul, Simon Cowell a Patron of Together for Short Lives for the past 14 years, hailed the partnership and the difference the money would make to the lives of families caring for a life limited child.

He said: “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.”

In the West Midlands, Morrisons customers will be familiar with mum Shabana and her daughter Haniya, 8, from Ward End, Birmingham. The family are the ‘faces’ of the campaign locally and visible on items such as posters and leaflets inside each store.

Haniya, who has Leigh Syndrome – a rare neurometabolic disorder – uses Acorns in Birmingham, Selly Oak and is one of the more than 700 children every year cared for at the charity’s three hospices.

Mum Shabana says: “Acorns isn’t just there for me and Haniya. Acorns is there for all of us. I’ve got three other kids and I can’t give them time because I’m with Haniya 24/7. I feel guilty about that. But Acorns is a place for them too.

“Acorns have changed my state of mind. I don’t know what I’d do without them, they’re there for me no matter what.”

Together for Short Lives is the leading UK charity for children’s palliative care, supporting hospices like Acorns and the families they care for. The partnership with Morrisons is raising vital funds for children’s hospices as well as raising awareness of the services they offer for those who could benefit. 

Together for Short Lives CEO, Andy Fletcher, said: “We are thrilled that Morrisons colleagues 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.” 

Acorns provides a network of specialist palliative care for children and support for the whole family. It costs the charity £10 million every year to continue and it relies on donations for the bulk of this amount.

To find out more about Acorns, please visit www.acorns.org.uk