# Sparks & GOSH Children’s Charity partner to boost funding for child health research

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/01/27/sparks-gosh-childrens-charity-partner-boost-funding-child-health-research/
- Published: 2017-01-27T08:20:03+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Children’s medical research charity [Sparks](http://www.sparks.org.uk/) and [Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity](http://www.gosh.org/)
are joining forces from 1^(st) February, in a partnership that will boost funding
for research into childhood diseases.**

Under the new arrangement, Sparks will join Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s
Charity as a subsidiary, operating from the offices of the charity on Bernard Street,
WC1, whilst retaining its own external brand identity and charity number. Sparks’s
research programme and fundraising activities will continue under the Sparks name,
and Sparks will continue to fundraise exclusively for child health research and 
support projects nationwide.
Elvira Morrison, acting CEO of Sparks said:

> “Paediatric research is severely underfunded, yet there are still large gaps in
> our understanding of children’s conditions. We have huge ambitions to unlock the
> breakthroughs in children’s medicine that families need, from discovery through
> to treatment and cure.
> “We approached Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s 
> Charity to explore a partnership. As a children’s charity with a strong reputation
> for funding national research, it felt like the natural home for Sparks. Together
> we can fund even more pioneering, national, research.”
> 
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The move has been supported by the [Association of Medical Research Charities](http://www.amrc.org.uk/)(
AMRC) and the [Institute of Fundraising](http://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/).

Aisling Burnand MBE, chief executive of the AMRC said:

> “It is incredibly encouraging to see two strong and innovative charities share
> their resources to maximise what they can do for children with illnesses. By collaborating
> to meet the same aims GOSH Children’s Charity and Sparks will be able to speed
> up discovery to help more children.”

Peter Lewis, chief executive of the Institute of Fundraising also commented:

> “Collaboration across the sector should be welcomed where there is a natural fit
> and the decision by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity and Sparks
> to embark on a formal new partnership that will result in increased funding for
> research is only to be encouraged. It also makes sense for the charities’ donors
> and supporters to see a joined up approach and offers exciting new fundraising
> opportunities to raise more money that will fund life-changing research.”

_Main image: Elvira Morrison, acting CEO of Sparks, with Tim Johnson, chief executive
of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity_

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