Shop Direct has raised £440,000 to digitally equip Claire House’s new site, which will support hundreds of seriously and terminally ill children in Liverpool and the wider North West.
In September 2016, the 4,700-strong team at Shop Direct voted for the Wirral-based children’s hospice as its charitable partner for 2016/17.
Since then, staff at the online giant’s sites in Liverpool and Manchester have undertaken a variety of fundraising activities including a charity ball for over 1,000 people, mountain climbing, fun days, worldwide marathons, skydiving, cycling and a digital dog show.
Shop Direct – which owns brands including Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com – has also worked with Claire House to form a new innovation board, which is helping the charity to define what a world class digital hospice is and deliver the plans.
The charity has also been able to install digital infrastructure like cabling, Wi-Fi and server technology at its new site, which is located in the West Derby area of Liverpool.
Claire House is also modernising paper-based systems and Shop Direct is helping to fund and design an interactive multi-media suite for use by the children and families who visit the centre.
Alex Baldock, group CEO at Shop Direct, said: “We’re delighted that the money we’ve raised will help to transform the charity’s new site, making a massive difference to children and their families’ for years to come. We can’t wait for the next stage of our partnership, which will see us work together on a cutting-edge multimedia suite.”
David Pastor, chief executive at Claire House, added: “Not only has this been Claire House’s largest corporate partnership, it’s been one of our most successful, with both organisations working closely together on a common goal; to support the children and families we care for.
“We’re so grateful to everyone at Shop Direct who have got behind our cause so wholeheartedly and really helped us kick start our journey to reaching every family that needs us.”
