Morgan Stanley becomes first corporate backer of Give to GOSH appeal with £150,000 donation

The sum will go toward helping seriously ill children and their families at Great Ormond Street Hospital

Neil Shelton, of Morgan Stanley, with his son, Elliott, who as a baby had surgery at GOSH

The Independent’s Give to GOSH appeal received a huge boost today when the bank Morgan Stanley announced a donation of £150,000, thus becoming the campaign’s first corporate backer.

The sum, which will be doubled to £300,000 thanks to the Treasury’s commitment to match every pound raised by the appeal, will go toward helping seriously ill children and their families at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

For the past two weeks, The Independent has highlighted the vital work carried out at the hospital, and the bravery of the children and families who benefit from it. We’ve seen the effort, expertise – and money – that goes into providing consistently world-class care for ill children.

The Give to GOSH campaign has already received high-profile backing from celebrities including Johnny Depp and David Beckham, but the global bank is the first corporation to dig deep and make a generous donation.

Clare Woodman, the chief operating officer of Morgan Stanley International, noted the difference that fundraising can make to places like GOSH: “Giving back to the communities in which we live and work has long been embedded in Morgan Stanley’s culture.

“Having worked in partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity since 2007, we’ve seen first-hand how donations can make a real difference for the hospital’s young patients and their families. We would urge other businesses to join us in supporting this vital appeal.”

Tim Johnson, the chief executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity said: “The Give to GOSH appeal is very exciting and we’d ask businesses across the country to follow Morgan Stanley’s lead and make this appeal the huge success we know it can be.”

Morgan Stanley’s money is a welcome boost to the generous contributions of Independent, i and Evening Standard readers, who have already given generously. The money raised will go toward a specialist unit helping children awaiting heart transplants, research into treatments for children with rare diseases and the hospital’s patient and family support programme. It will also help fund the Louis Dundas Centre, a specialist unit for children with life-limiting illnesses that is dedicated to the under-researched field of children’s palliative care.

Morgan Stanley’s Neil Shelton, whose son, Elliot, had surgery at GOSH as a three-year-old, said: “GOSH is a leading centre for paediatric care and medicine, but it’s also creating new science. The competence and excellence shown by staff on a daily basis is phenomenal. It’s a place where miracles do happen every day.”

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