Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice is to benefit from an exciting new partnership between M&S Food and leading UK children’s charity Together for Short Lives.

The new partnership is set to make a lasting difference to children with life-shortening and life-threatening conditions by raising money for the 54 children’s hospices that deliver lifeline care in our communities.

M&S Food has already set an impressive challenge – to raise £1m for Together for Short Lives this year to help children’s hospices like Bluebell Wood be there for local families when they need them the most.

M&S Food and Together for Short Lives are celebrating their partnership launch in Children’s Hospice Week (22-28 June 2020) – a UK-wide campaign to raise awareness and vital funds for children’s hospices across the UK.

Children’s Hospice Week is especially poignant this year, with hospices like Bluebell Wood going above and beyond to relieve pressure on the NHS during the Coronavirus pandemic, as well as delivering emergency care to some of the most vulnerable children in our communities.

Stuart Machin, CEO M&S Food: “I am incredibly proud to be joining forces with Together for Short Lives and welcoming them on board on as our new charity partner for M&S Food.

“The work that they do to support families across the UK is truly inspirational, and I am delighted that we will be playing a role in their vital work to help protect the lifeline care that children’s hospices provide – particularly at this time with so many families affected by the current pandemic.

“At M&S Food we are a passionate team with a big heart and we are all excited about our new partnership. We have some big plans afoot for all our colleagues and customers to get involved in raising our target of 1million for the charity.

“From next month, Together for Short Lives will be one of the charities available to support via our SPARKS card and we’re looking forward to introducing lots more initiatives during the year.”

Simon Hills, Chief Executive of Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, said: “This is a fantastic and very timely partnership that will directly benefit the children and families we care for, as well as countless others throughout the UK.

“The families in our care need our help and support more than ever in these uncertain times so we’re very much looking forward to working closely with our local M&S Food stores to raise vital funds to support our life-changing work.”

Together for Short Lives’ ambition is for every seriously ill child and their family to be able to make the most of every moment together, whether that’s for years, months or just days.

Andy Fletcher, CEO of Together for Short Lives, said: “Thank you M&S Food, Together for Short Lives is so excited to be partnering with you – we have so much in common between our ideals for family life – it feels like the perfect fit.

“We are blown away by your generosity and commitment to seriously ill children and families and the children’s hospices they rely on. We have already had the privilege of working with M&S Food over the last year, and have experienced first-hand their warmth, energy and determination to do all they can to protect the magic of family life – which is so precious when time is short.”