Coronavirus causes fall in Sheffield Children's Hospital fundraising

The pandemic has seen the postponement of fundraising events, the charity said

A "significant fall in fundraising" caused by coronavirus could put projects at a children's hospital in jeopardy, a charity has said.

The Children's Hospital Charity, which raises funds for Sheffield Children's Hospital, said its fundraising was set to fall by £2.5m.

It said large fundraising events had been postponed during the pandemic.

Plans for the hospital included a renewal of its emergency department and a new cancer and leukaemia ward.

There were also plans to build a helipad on its roof, as children arriving by air ambulance currently have to be taken across a busy road from a nearby park.

The Children's Hospital Charity said: "The coronavirus pandemic has caused a significant fall in fundraising, leaving the timeline for the remaining projects in doubt."

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The hospital sees more than 58,000 children annually, said the charity

David Vernon-Edwards, the charity's director, said: "We are looking at a decline in fundraising of around £2.5m by the end of the financial year due to the Covid-19 crisis."

The charity was raising as much money as possible but Mr Vernon-Edwards said he wanted to share the news "given how vital our fundraising is to Sheffield Children's".

The charity's Building A Better Future appeal was launched two years ago in order to raise £14.25m by March 2023.

It has so far raised £5m and work has been completed on a new Safeguarding Support Unit.

"Put simply, the less we raise together, the longer patients at Sheffield Children's will have to wait for the upgraded environment they deserve," Mr Vernon-Edwards added.

The charity said the emergency department was built to see 32,000 children annually but now sees more than 58,000 youngsters from South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

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