CHILDREN IN HOSPITAL IRELAND APPEALS TO BUSINESS COMMUNITY AS SWINE FLU HITS CARD SALES

Children in Hospital Ireland is today, December 8, launching an appeal for retail businesses to step forward and help thousands of children in hospitals around Ireland by allowing the charity to sell its fundraising Christmas cards from their premises.

The restrictions introduced to hospitals as a result of the Swine Flu outbreak mean the children’s charity is unable to sell directly from the hospitals where its volunteers are bringing happiness and play activities to sick children on a daily basis. The sale of Christmas cards is the charity’s principal means of fundraising and hospitals have played a key role in allowing the charity to make them available to the public every year.

Children in Hospital Ireland (CHI) wants to make its beautiful Irish-created cards readily accessible to the public. Because of its current predicament, it is seeking the help of a retail business/businesses to make the cards readily available over the festive season.

“The Swine Flu restrictions, while understandable, have resulted in us having no outlets from which to sell our cards,” Mary O’Connor, Chief Executive Officer of CHI said. “It is causing us major problems as the Christmas card sales are absolutely vital to allow the charity raise the money it needs to organise games and fun activities for children in hospitals throughout Ireland. Funding is already an issue for the organisation and these restrictions could not have come at a worse time. We would appeal to any retail business who could offer us a helping hand in selling our cards to come forward to us.”

Nine sets of cards – priced at €5 each – have been created by the Irish artist and illustrator Heather McKay for the charity. Each set focuses on a Christmas theme and the illustrations will appeal to adults and children alike.

All money raised from the sale of the cards will directly assist Children in Hospital Ireland to deliver its PlayWell schemes and train its hundreds of volunteers to delivery 40,000 hours of play in 18 hospitals around the country. It will also assist the organisation in delivering its support services to parents during and after their child’s illness.

The cards come in nine themes:

• Santa in the Sky
• Partridge & Pears
• Houses by Moonlight
• Wrapping Gifts
• Wise Men following the Star
• Joy to the World
• Christmas Eve
• Joy Angel
• Peace on Earth.

Each pack contains eight cards of the same design. The cards are in a square format (150mm x 150mm) and contain a greeting inside. People wishing to buy the cards directly can obtain an order form by e-mailing communications@childreninhospital.ieor by ringing Local 1890 25 26 82. Payment can be deposited in the Children in Hospital Ireland account: sort code: 90-10-28 and the account number is 76138452. Remember for those banking online, you need not leave the comfort of your house to purchase a set of cards!

Images

Images of the cards are available by contacting Children in Hospital Ireland.

About the artist

Heather McKay is a Dublin-based designer and illustrator, who is most widely known as the illustrator behind the greeting card company Head in the Clouds Ltd. She designs greeting cards, makes prints and creates original works for purchase. Head in the Clouds is the primary vehicle for her work and has been established since 2000.