Some of the work we are proudest of has nothing to do with brands or budgets. For years our team has worked at Ronald McDonald House Manchester, most recently building a new roof garden for the families who stay there, and we want to use this post to say why this charity matters so much to us, and to ask you to support it.
What Ronald McDonald House does
When a child is seriously ill in hospital, the last thing a family should have to worry about is where to sleep. Ronald McDonald House UK is an independent charity that gives families free, comfortable accommodation close to the hospital, so they can stay near their child through treatment.
Manchester House, on Hathersage Road, serves the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and St Mary's Neonatal Unit. It has 65 en-suite bedrooms. In 2025, 700 families stayed there, travelling an average of 54 miles from home, and the longest stay was 1,087 nights. Across the UK the charity has 14 Houses, and more than 100,000 families have stayed with them since the first opened in 1989.
A new roof garden for reflection
Our latest work at Manchester House is a brand new roof garden, designed as a reflection garden. It gives families a calm, open-air space away from the wards and the bedrooms, somewhere to sit quietly, take a breath and gather their thoughts during a difficult time.
Working in a home, not a building site
Manchester House is somewhere families live during the hardest weeks of their lives, so every job there is planned around them. That means keeping noise and disruption down, respecting privacy, keeping work areas safe and tidy, and fitting in around the people who use the House every day. It is the same care we bring to live hospitals and other occupied buildings.
“John is and has always been really easy to work with. He understands the sensitivities of our Houses and he and the team are always willing to work with our needs in their minds. We hope to keep this relationship for many years to come.”
Michael Doyle, Ronald McDonald House Manchester
We are grateful for those kind words, and we look forward to supporting Manchester House for many years to come.
How you can help
Ronald McDonald House relies on donations to keep its doors open to families. If you can, please give whatever you can afford. Every gift helps a family stay close to their child when it matters most.
Donate to Ronald McDonald House UK
You can also find out more about Manchester House on the charity's own website, including other ways to get involved.
Ronald McDonald House UK is an independent charity registered in England and Wales (802047) and in Scotland (SC040717).
Working in sensitive buildings
If you run a building where people live, stay or are cared for, and need work done with minimal disruption, we would be glad to help. See our healthcare work, call us free on 0800 011 9758, or send us your brief.