Manchester Munich Memorial Foundation donates £12,000 to Francis House

The Manchester Munich Memorial Foundation (MMMF) – a charity founded to preserve the legacy of the Busby Babes has donated £12,000 to Francis House Children’s Hospice.

Representatives from the MMMF, Ifty Ahmed and Anthony Crook, visited the hospice in Manchester to inform them of the sizeable donation raised through fundraising activities including a Gala Dinner attended by more than 400 Manchester United fans and committee members.

Francis House chief executive, Revd David Ireland, deputy chief executive Rachael Taylor and senior fundraising officer Julie Williams, took the visitors on a tour of the hospice facilities including the multi-sensory rooms which provide soothing sounds and visual stimulation to the children and young people with life-limiting conditions.

The MMMF organises and leads the annual Munich Air Disaster memorial service that takes place in Germany on 6 February each year, and also raises money for disadvantaged young people in Belgrade, Manchester and Munich.

Ifty Ahmed, chairman of MMMF said: “It is our pleasure and honour to support Francis House and we will continue to do so for many years in the future. The respite and end of life care provided by the staff is truly humbling. This twelve-thousand-pound donation is a result of MMMF fundraising events where guests have known that the proceeds would be donated to our charities including Francis House.”

A big element of the group’s work is passing on the memory of the Busby Babes, and what was lost at Munich, to future generations of United's supporters. As a symbol of that drive, part of the money raised each year pays for a young person (and their guardian) to travel to Trudering-Riem for the anniversary.

Additionally, all the charities that the MMMF support – including DePaul UK (Manchester), Derian House (Chorley) and Francis House (Manchester) – are geared towards helping young people, as an acknowledgement of the potential that was cruelly lost back in 1958.

David Ireland, CEO of Francis House said: “It’s the support that we get through people like yourselves who make such a big effort, we have 600 families on our books at the moment and out of them about 380 will come for respite during this year. For them this is life-changing. Long may this association continue and thanks so much for everybody involved.”

Based in Didsbury, Manchester, Francis House provides a home from home where the families of children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions receive professional care, support and friendship. Services include respite care, day care, homecare, sibling support groups, end of life care and symptom control, and emotional support and bereavement support. The total cost of running Francis House per year is £4.8 million and the majority of funding comes from charitable donations.

More information on the work of the hospice can be found at www.francishouse.org.uk