Gordon Ramsay backs The Independent’s Give to GOSH campaign

The three-Michelin starred chef and TV star praised the 'world class' standard of care at Great Ormond Street Hospital

Gordon and Tana Ramsay cook up a storm with Yusuf, 6, a patient at Great Ormond Street Hospital

Gordon Ramsay is the latest celebrity to endorse The Independent's Give to GOSH campaign, joining David Beckham, Johnny Depp and Barbara Windsor in backing seriously ill children and their families this Christmas.

The three-Michelin starred chef and TV star, whose The Gordon and Tana Ramsay Foundation fundraises exclusively for Great Ormond Street Hospital, praised the “world class” standard of care at the hospital, and called on readers and members of the public to get behind the appeal.

Recalling a visit to the hospital's Eagle ward, he described meeting “brave young patients, dedicated staff and courageous mums and dads” and called the hospital a “truly extraordinary place.”

The Scottish chef spoke as the Give to GOSH Christmas charity auction entered its final day. One of the prizes – a family holiday to the five-star Atlantis hotel in Dubai, including dinner at Bread Street Kitchen, Ramsay's restaurant at the hotel – was kindly donated by The Gordon and Tana Ramsay Foundation.

“The online auction has some fantastic prizes, including dinner at my restaurant Bread Street Kitchen & Bar in Dubai,” said the 49-year-old chef. “We will make sure whoever wins this lot has a fantastic evening, so do go online and make a bid.”

Other prizes in the auction – which closes on 8 December at 9pm – include a week in a luxury ski chalet, a Grand Tier box to watch Cirque du Soleil at the Royal Albert Hall and David Beckham's VW Golf from 1994. Beckham, a close friend of Ramsay's, also backed the appeal, calling GOSH patients “truly inspiring.”

Other high profile backers include Barbara Windsor, who was treated at the hospital for a rheumatism in her leg, and Johnny Depp, who credits GOSH with saving his daughter after she fell gravely ill while he filmed Sweeney Todd in the UK.

The chef told the Independent: “It is fantastic to see so many readers and members of the public getting behind the Give to GOSH appeal and we are delighted to throw our support wholeheartedly behind it. As parents we know if anything ever happened to our children, we could only hope they would receive the world class care given to patients at GOSH each and every day.

“Every day Great Ormond Street Hospital helps give seriously ill children across the UK the best chance for life, which is why we have chosen to raise funds for the hospital through our foundation, The Gordon and Tana Ramsay Foundation.”

His endorsement comes days after the campaign's first major corporate donation – £150k from investment bank Morgan Stanley – and two weeks after the Treasury agreed to match fund every pound raised with money recouped from fines charged to banks in the wake of the libor-rigging scandal.

Money raised in the Give to GOSH campaign will go towards a specialist unit for children awaiting heart transplants, research into treatments for children with rare diseases and the hospital's patient and family support programme.

The appeal will also help fund the Louis Dundas Centre, a groundbreaking centre dedicated to the practice and research of children’s palliative care.

Ramsay owns over 20 eateries worldwide, including in the US, Singapore, France and Canada. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, his first wholly owned restaurant which opened in 1998, has held three Michelin stars since 2001.

He also fronted hit TV shows about cooking, including Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Hell's Kitchen and the F Word.

He said, “If you are reading this and thinking about doing something charitable this Christmas we urge you to Give to GOSH. We have seen first-hand the amazing things that happen there. Your money will support the fantastic work of the hospital, and bring hope to seriously ill children from around the country.”

If you Give to GOSH, your donation will be matched by the Government, doubling its amount. To donate go to: http://ind.pn/1Mydxqt

To find out more about our charity auction and to make your bid, please visit www.givergy.com/charity/gosh

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