A CHILDREN’S hospital has been gifted cash to support young patients by a UK supermarket giant.

The Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity was awarded £14,000 from Tesco’s charity arm to fund its Play Programme which aims to reassure children awaiting treatment through games, toys and activities.

William McGowan, head of fundraising at Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “Through our Play Programme, we do our best to ensure that a child’s hospital journey is as positive and enjoyable as possible.

"Being in hospital can be a worrying time for children, particularly during the pandemic, so moments of fun and laughter can really help to provide relief for children and their families.

“Covid-19 has had a significant impact on our income, with most of our fundraising events in 2020 having to be cancelled. We rely entirely on donations and fundraising to be there with life-changing projects like our Play Programme, so this gift from Tesco is so greatly appreciated.”

As part of the special round of community funding for youth charities, three grants of £1,000 have been made available in each region of the UK, with a total of 267 groups in Scotland being approved to receive funds in October, November and December.

Keith Jackson, Bags of Help manager at Tesco, said: “Young people have been among the most affected by the pandemic this year, be it due to school disruption or vital services stopping.

“We’re therefore very pleased to see so many charities and community groups coming forward for support, all of whom carry out vital work for young people in the UK, and delighted to be able to provide much-needed funding for many of them, including Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.”