V Cars are making a donation from every taxi booking made via the V Cars app to Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal’s Christmas Campaign.

Taxis booked by app from now until the end of December will benefit The Grand Appeal – the dedicated charity for Bristol Children’s Hospital – and the many children from across the South West and South Wales who will find themselves in hospital this Christmas, often unexpectedly, and needing urgent care.

The donation by the private hire taxi firm V Cars, will also help those patients already in hospital who are too sick to leave and will spend their Christmas in hospital far from home.

Jack Price, Regional Director for V Cars explains: “The Grand Appeal is a fantastic cause, and we are delighted to support it. Christmas away from home is a difficult time for children and their families, especially in these challenging times. At V Cars, we try and support our local communities, wherever we can. We have made this appeal as easy as possible for Bristolians to get involved in. Instead of booking by telephone simply book by app and we will make a contribution to The Grand Appeal. It’s that simple.”

This year, The Grand Appeal has continued to provide its services to support the staff, families and patients at Bristol Children’s Hospital despite the pandemic. These vital services have included family accommodation for parents, so they can be closer to their child in hospital – as well as providing the funding for ground-breaking research into the natural history of Covid-19.

Helen Haskell, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal, says: “We are so grateful to V Cars for this great gesture. Like many charities, we have seen a fall in donations this year and our usual fundraising activities have been limited because of lockdown and social distancing requirements.

“Support like this from V Cars helps in so many ways, from providing the comfort of a place to stay for parents in the charity’s family accommodation to the distraction of a music therapy session and the funding of specialist support staff, research and equipment that will help save lives, not just at Christmas, but all year round.”

By booking a taxi through the V Cars app and supporting Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal’s Christmas Campaign, £20 could fund a present for a child or young adult spending their Christmas in hospital; £50 could fund themed craft and play activities delivered by the Play Department.

One hundred pounds could fund four music therapy sessions, helping children to express their feelings and focus on something other than their treatment and £200 could fund a week’s stay in family accommodation, which enables parents to stay close to their child and for them to be together at this special time of year.

V Cars has supported the city throughout the pandemic – offering a Click and Collect Service for customers, as well as providing a delivery service for takeaway food and medical prescriptions, to help those who were self-isolating or shielding.

The company introduced additional safety and hygiene measures early on in lockdown, to reassure both passengers and driver partners and to keep the city moving safely and efficiently.

Visit www.v-cars.com to download the app and www.grandappeal.org.uk/christmas-appeal to find out more.