RMHC accomodation

' The Deputy Mayor of Sheffield declairs the Family Rooms re-open'

The Deputy Major of SheffieldOn Tuesday, 14th August 2007, the Deputy Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Jane Bird and her Consort Mr Roger Bird attended the official ribbon cutting ceremony of the Ronald McDonald Family Rooms, at the PICU – Paediatric Intensive Care Unit – at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. The Deputy Mayor officially declared the Family Rooms reopen after they had gone through much-needed refurbishment. The rooms were first opened in December 1998 by RMHC – Ronald McDonald House Charities – the leading charity provider of accommodation for families with children in hospital. The three en suite bedrooms enable families to get some crucial rest, gain some sense of normality and provide somewhere close to stay which is available without charge.

The Deputy Lord Mayor met and spoke to staff from the unit as well as families who have benefited from use of the rooms. The Deputy Lord Mayor said: “I was very happy to accept an invitation to officially declare the Family Rooms open. “It was wonderful to see the rooms and meet with families from the local region to find out what a real difference this type of accommodation has made to their lives whilst their child is being treated at the PICU. The charity provides a valuable service for families and ensures they are able to stay together at what can be a stressful time.”

To help RMHC, staff at the local McDonald’s Restaurants in the area donated their time to help cut labour costs of the project by assisting in the clear out and clean up ofthe rooms. This valuable offer of free labour helped reduce costs for the charity by hundreds of pounds through out thethree-week period.

James Thompson, McDonald’s’ Area Manager who also attended the ceremony said:

“RMHC is a worthy cause and we were very pleased to be able to assist them and are proud to be supporting them. It’s was great to speak to the families and hospital staff who reinforced that the refurbishment had been a great success.”

RMHC provides en suite family bedrooms, and communal living and dining areas either in free-standing Houses or embedded in the hospitals, depending on the need and the available space.