Ed Sheeran made the £10,000 donation after Myton supporter John Parker contacted him about his fundraising challenge. John is running the Virtual London Marathon in aid of the charity as thanks for the care the Myton at Home team gave to his mum at the end of her life.
John was part of folk duo Nizlopi formed in Leamington Spa and before Ed Sheeran became an international artist he sometimes worked as a guitar tech for the band and even opened some shows for them. John contacted Ed on the ‘off chance’ to ask for help spreading the word about his fundraising and was amazed when just a few hours later he had received a £10,000 donation on his JustGiving page from ‘Ted’.
John was quick to let Myton know about the incredible donation, he said:
“I’m massively touched by Ed’s sponsorship, kindness and support; it proves that no matter how famous you get, you can still be a top person.”
This year The Myton Hospices needs to raise £7.8 million to continue providing its services free of charge, to people in Coventry and Warwickshire with life limiting illnesses, and their families.
Ruth Freeman, CEO of The Myton Hospices said:
We are blown away by Ed Sheeran’s donation and would like to thank him for his generosity and support, it really will make a big difference to our patients and their families.
“John has done such a fantastic job training for his marathon, and continuing to raise awareness and vital funds for Myton and we can’t thank him enough! None of our work would be possible without people like him.”
John is running the Virtual London Marathon on 3rd October 2021 and you can find out more about his challenge at www.mytonhospice.org/news and make a donation at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/john-parker39
Photo Caption: John Parker and his mum
About The Myton Hospices:
We believe that everyone matters for every single moment of their life; we focus on enhancing life when cure is no longer an option.
We have three hospices in Coventry, Rugby and Warwick, and have the only Inpatient beds in Coventry and Warwickshire. We care for people with a wide range of life limiting illnesses including Respiratory conditions, Heart conditions, Cancer, Organ failure and Neurological conditions. We also provide support for their loved ones.
We are a charity and we have to raise £7.8 million of the £10.5 million we need this year to continue providing our services free of charge. Less than 25% of our funding comes from the NHS. We rely on donations and support from our local communities.
Last year, despite the challenges of Covid-19 which limited our ability to offer some of our services, we still supported 1,400 people and their families, in our hospices, via our patient & family support services, and in the community through Myton at Home.
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