A father and son team who have become social media stars have donated three ride-on cars to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Reece Thornton Bate and Paul Bate donated the cars worth around £1,000 through the Phat Lads Charitable Foundation – a charity they launched earlier this year and reported by Daily Focus.
The registered charity was launched off the back of their competition website Phat Lads Competitions which has given away more than £1 million in prizes to over 1,000 winners since it was launched in 2020.
What started out as a side hustle during lockdown giving away a pair of children’s football boots has now grown a massive social media presence with around 66,000 followers across Facebook (including closed group members) and TikTok.
Reece and Paul set up the Foundation earlier this year to build on the fundraising activities and donations they’ve made since launching the company – including delivering food parcels and paying for medical equipment.
The charity recently donated £2,000 worth of ride on cars to Staffordshire Children’s Hospital at the Royal Hospital in Stoke and Crewe’s Leighton Hospital.
And the pair’s first charity community fun day, held at Packmoor Community Hall, in Stoke-on-Trent, earlier this month and previewed by Daily Focus, raised £1,400 and attracted between 300 and 400 people.
The remote-control ride-on cars – a model Audi Q7, Aston Martin DB11 and a Land Rover Defender – donated to Alder Hey, which come with a built-in sound system, will take children to appointments and the wards to help them feel less anxious.
Reece said: “Walking into Alder Hey to deliver the cars was quite surreal. It just didn’t look or feel like a hospital, it’s so well designed.
“We were shown around by the community fundraisers from the hospital’s charity who explained the thought around how the hospital had been configured and the plans they had for the future. Their passion shone through and it was obvious how much Alder Hey and the care it provides meant to them.
“When we delivered the cars they were like a magnet for the children and to see the smiles on their faces was fantastic.
“With 330,000 children being looked after there every year, we hope they’ll provide lots more smiles in the future.”
Paul added: “We’re looking forward to holding further fund-raising events in the future to support causes like the Alder Hey Children’s Charity.
“The facilities at Alder Hey really are incredible and the work the charity does to help fund extra equipment, research and innovation is humbling.”
Sarah Bennett, a Community Fundraiser for the Alder Hey Children’s Charity, said: “The cars are great. They’ve already attracted a lot of attention and I’d like to say a big thank you to the Phat Lads Charitable Foundation for this fantastic donation.
“Children can often be very frightened or nervous when they come to the hospital and hopefully the addition of these cars will help them relax and have some fun when they come onto site, helping ease the fear factor.”
For more information about the foundation, contact [email protected] or message the Phat Lads Competitions Facebook page.
