The Dome Edinburgh nominated Ronald McDonald House Charities as their charity partner for the month of June raising £2,895 with the help of their customers. The independent charity provides free ‘home away from home’ accommodation to families with sick children in hospitals across the UK and is currently building a 25 bedroom facility at the new children’s hospital in Edinburgh.

The Dome’s charity initiative allows customers to add an optional 50p donation to their bill, resulting in the donation. The initiative also helped to raise awareness for the new Ronald McDonald House Edinburgh, which will accommodate 500 families each year while their children are being treated at the new Royal Hospital for Children & Young People.

Located on the top floor of the new hospital, in partnership with NHS Lothian, Ronald McDonald House Edinburgh will have 25 en-suite bedrooms and communal kitchen and laundry facilities where families can stay free of charge for as long as they need.

There are currently 14 Ronald McDonald Houses across the UK situated in or near hospital grounds that enable seriously ill children to have their families close by when they are undergoing treatment, and to maintain a degree of normal family life. More than 8,000 families stayed at a Ronald McDonald House last year.

Steve Hall, General Manager at The Dome said: “We have worked on several fundraising projects in the lead up to the opening of the new Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Little France.

As one of 4 brothers, our family had regular visits to Sciennes and their fabulous staff always looked after us well. The “Sick Kids” is a much-loved local institution and the move to Little France allows space for it to have an adjoining Ronald McDonald house. This wonderful facility will make the visits of many families, so often stressful and painful, much more bearable. For the patients, many away from home for the first time, having their parents on hand will transform their care. Having families on-site can be enormous help to the staff as well. We are delighted to support RMHC with our collections during June and thank all our customers who happily paid the 50p that we added to their bill.””.

Lauren Brucker, Supporter Engagement Officer for the Charity in Edinburgh said: “We are thrilled that The Dome nominated us as their charity of the month and would like to thank all of the customers who generously contribute 50p from their bill. It costs our Charity £25 to accommodate a family for a night. This wonderful donation is enough to help us support a family for 117 days. This will make such a difference to the families staying at our Houses and those who will need the support of our new House in Edinburgh.”

To find out more about Ronald McDonald House Charities visit www.rmhc.org.uk