Wayne Rooney has made it a Christmas to remember for three Mersey children’s charities, donating £750,000 in total from monies raised at his Old Trafford testimonial match in 2016.
The Everton striker delivered the cheques in person – £250,000 to each charity — to Claire House Children’s Hospice, Alder Hey Children’s Charity and the NSPCC offices in Liverpool.
While there, he spent some time with the children and their close ones, as well as the staff, making for special memories all round.
“It’s always a privilege to meet the children and families who are being really brave and positive during their illnesses,” he said.
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“It’s a particularly difficult time of year but I hope we were able to bring some Christmas cheer, as all the charity staff do throughout December.
“I’d like to single out and pay tribute to all the staff members at the three charities I’ve visited this week who do such brilliant work, week in and week out, not just at Christmas.
” I think it’s important for me to be able to contribute through the Wayne Rooney Foundation and continue to help children who need it most.
“Since my testimonial, my foundation and our charity partners have been working together to ensure that the funds we raise will be put to good use and have a lasting effect.
“Those projects are now underway and it’s a pleasure to be handing over the cheques today.”
John Armstrong from Alder Hey Children’s Charity said: “We are incredibly grateful to Wayne and his Foundation for this generous donation.
“The money raised will go towards enhancing our ward based treatment rooms, providing much needed distraction and creating a more fun and friendly environment. This will make a real difference to thousands of patients and families who visit Alder Hey every year.”
Meanwhile, Alex Modder, children’s services manager at the NSPCC Hargreaves Centre in Liverpool said: “We are incredibly grateful for Wayne’s very generous donation.
“The funds donated today will play a vital role in making sure we’re able to reach even more vulnerable children when they need us the most – whether it’s through Childline, our Helpline, or one of our therapeutic services such as ‘Protect & Respect’ here in Liverpool.”
Thanks to everybody that has supported us and helped make this happen. Looking forward to doing more work next year with @FoundationWR 👍🏼 https://t.co/MUJMGQau3H
David Pastor, CEO of Claire House Children’s Hospice, echoed the others’ sentiments, adding: “For every seriously ill child that Claire House currently cares for, there’s one more that we can’t reach.
“Thanks to the support of the Wayne Rooney Foundation and their donation, we are developing a specialist team of nurses to provide the very best care and support to these children and their families, wherever and whenever they need it.”
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):
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Heartwarming scenes as Rooney visits children's charities with huge donations
A HEARTWARMING STORY to hear on Chrirstmas Eve.
Wayne Rooney has made it a Christmas to remember for three Mersey children’s charities, donating £750,000 in total from monies raised at his Old Trafford testimonial match in 2016.
The Everton striker delivered the cheques in person – £250,000 to each charity — to Claire House Children’s Hospice, Alder Hey Children’s Charity and the NSPCC offices in Liverpool.
While there, he spent some time with the children and their close ones, as well as the staff, making for special memories all round.
“It’s always a privilege to meet the children and families who are being really brave and positive during their illnesses,” he said.
“It’s a particularly difficult time of year but I hope we were able to bring some Christmas cheer, as all the charity staff do throughout December.
“I’d like to single out and pay tribute to all the staff members at the three charities I’ve visited this week who do such brilliant work, week in and week out, not just at Christmas.
” I think it’s important for me to be able to contribute through the Wayne Rooney Foundation and continue to help children who need it most.
“Since my testimonial, my foundation and our charity partners have been working together to ensure that the funds we raise will be put to good use and have a lasting effect.
“Those projects are now underway and it’s a pleasure to be handing over the cheques today.”
John Armstrong from Alder Hey Children’s Charity said: “We are incredibly grateful to Wayne and his Foundation for this generous donation.
“The money raised will go towards enhancing our ward based treatment rooms, providing much needed distraction and creating a more fun and friendly environment. This will make a real difference to thousands of patients and families who visit Alder Hey every year.”
Meanwhile, Alex Modder, children’s services manager at the NSPCC Hargreaves Centre in Liverpool said: “We are incredibly grateful for Wayne’s very generous donation.
“The funds donated today will play a vital role in making sure we’re able to reach even more vulnerable children when they need us the most – whether it’s through Childline, our Helpline, or one of our therapeutic services such as ‘Protect & Respect’ here in Liverpool.”
David Pastor, CEO of Claire House Children’s Hospice, echoed the others’ sentiments, adding: “For every seriously ill child that Claire House currently cares for, there’s one more that we can’t reach.
“Thanks to the support of the Wayne Rooney Foundation and their donation, we are developing a specialist team of nurses to provide the very best care and support to these children and their families, wherever and whenever they need it.”
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):
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Charity Class Act Festive Season of Goodwill Wayne Rooney