Derian House Children’s Hospice and a Rainbow House fund-raiser who has cerebral palsy win big at JustGiving Awards

Derian House Children’s Hospice was named Charity of the Year 2019 at the prestigious event, held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, with 13-year-old Alex Macpherson, of Whittle-le-Woods being named Fund-raiser of the Year for his work with Rainbow House, based in Mawdesley.

Derian House, in Chorley, looks after more than 400 children, young people and their families from across the North West, offering respite and end-of-life care.

The hospice beat off competition from more than 50,000 other charities to scoop the top award.

It costs more than £4.3m to run services at Derian House Children’s Hospice every year. Last year, as part of Derian House's 25th anniversary, The Post ran a campaign to help boost its profile and raise vital funds: WATCH: Derian House children's hospice 25th anniversary launch and Derian House children's hospice 25th anniversary launch: A lifetime of support

David Robinson, chief executive of Derian House, said: “We are really overwhelmed to have been named Charity of the Year in the JustGiving Awards 2019 – we didn’t expect to win and this national accolade will really help us to reach out to more families and help put Derian House on the map.

“We get very little money from the government and JustGiving is a fundamental part of helping us to raise the cash we need to keep the hospice running.

“The ceremony was inspirational and humbling in equal measures. To hear the wonderful stories of people from across the UK was a real privilege. I’d like to thank our fellow nominees, Breast Cancer Haven and My Name’5 Doddie Foundation - both really worthy charities.

“Big thanks to everyone who voted for us. We are thrilled.”

Alex, who has severe cerebral palsy, raised more than £3,000 for Rainbow House by taking part in the charity’s Rainbow Ramble.

His mum, Karen said: "We are very proud of Alex being a finalist and for him to win is amazing. I am really grateful to the staff at Rainbow House, as without them, this would never have happened.

"The Ramble is something that Alex can easily take part in, enabling him to raise money to help Rainbow House carry on its work to support him and other children. Last year he did the walk on a trike and this year he walked, which was a massive thing for him."

Carol Cochrane, chief executive of Rainbow House, said: "We are absolutely delighted for Alex and over the moon. It was very well deserved. We want to say a big congratulations to Alex and his family."

A JustGiving Awards spokesman said: “We want to thank everyone who took the time out of their day to nominate and vote for this year’s winners.”