2024 marks the 20th anniversary of The Children’s Hospital Charity’s annual snowflake appeal, and thanks to generous supporters a record-breaking £434,000 has been pledged in support of Sheffield Children’s.
What began as four snowflake decorations on Sheffield Children’s iconic hospital building in 2004 has become a mainstay in not only the Charity’s calendar, but the city of Sheffield’s too.
Thanks to this year’s record-breaking pledges, the Snowflake appeal has now raised over £2.9 million for Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
This year the Charity has lit up the region with 512 Snowflakes, each sponsored by a committed Charity supporter. In return for pledging to raise funds, each sponsor sees their snowflake sparkle on one of many sites across the region, with an attached name tag recognising their contribution for all to see.
From patients and their families to large companies like Gripple and Irwin Mitchell, an incredible number of sponsors come together and support the Snowflake appeal to raise money for Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust for Sheffield Children’s.
Hundreds of thousands of patients visit Sheffield Children’s every year, each with their own story and need for quality care. This year’s Snowflake appeal will help to fund an innovative new technology centre. The Children’s Hospital Charity has pledged to raise £2million towards the £22 million build of the National Centre for Child Health Technology (NCCHT).
This year’s switch-on was supported by The Charity’s partner First Bus. The company revealed a special Snowflake bus for the first time. The bus – decked out with Charity branding and its very own light up snowflake – was parked in Weston Park and provided hot chocolate and chances to meet Santa.
Turning on the snowflakes were seven-year-old twins Ralph and Ted, on behalf of Aggregates-r-us, this year’s switch-on sponsor. Ralph and Ted are the children of Managing Director, Sam Robinson.
Sam said: “We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to sponsor The Children’s Hospital Charity Christmas Snowflake lights switch-on. It has been an honour to partner with such a meaningful cause, and we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Tchad Western from the Charity and his dedicated team for their tireless efforts in making this event a reality.
At Aggregates R Us, as a family-run business, we firmly believe in the power of community and the positive impact we can all make when we come together. We look forward to continuing our collaboration to support The Children’s Hospital Charity in the future.”
John Armstrong, Chief Executive at The Children’s Hospital Charity said: “It’s incredible to see the amount that has been pledged for this year’s Snowflake appeal.
“The Snowflakes are a highlight of the year for the Charity, it’s amazing that we can mark 20 years with a record-breaking year for donations.“
Find out more at tchc.org.uk.
