Get your skates on!

Liverpool residents have been getting their skates on to raise money for a local children’s charity.

Danielle Willis, 27 from Kirby, along with friends and family, skated from Central Station in Liverpool city centre to Quarry Green Club in Kirby on Sunday 19th April, raising money along the way for Ronald McDonald House at Alder Hey.

Danielle’s son, Elliot, who was three this April, suffers from a rare neurometabolic disorder that affects the central nervous system. Leigh’s disease, which normally occurs in infants between the ages of three months and two years, is a terminal illness and most sufferers are not expected to live past the age of five or six.

Ronald McDonald House, founded in 1993, has provided invaluable support to Danielle and her family, and they have shown their gratitude by raising more than £10,000 since Elliot was first diagnosed with the illness.

With the help from donations, Ronald McDonald House has provided accommodation to over 13,000 families with children suffering from serious illnesses. The children staying at the house, which now has 69 rooms, range from newly delivered babies to young adults up to the age of 18.

Jan Thomas, Director at Ronald McDonald House, said: “We provide accommodation for the parents of the most critically ill children in the hospital.

"We receive no funding from the government or the NHS, so events like this are vitally important to help us raise the £400,000 a year to keep the house going and fund projects such as this.”

Much of the money that Danielle and her family have already raised has come from her dad who, along with his friends, cycles from Southport to Kirby each year, getting everyone he knows to sponsor him for this deserving cause.

Danielle said: “We have been looking forward to the skate along for ages, it’s such a good event and fantastic fun for all the family.”

Over 30 people attended the skate-along, with Danielle raising more than £400 just by collecting money on the day.

“All the sponsor money won’t be in for a while yet, but they day was a great success, and so much fun, and we are hoping to have raised just over £2,000 for Ronald McDonald House,” said Danielle.