Simon Cowell gives our GOSH appeal the X Factor

Supporter: X Factor creator Simon Cowell has donated to the GOSH appeal
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Alex Dymoke13 January 2016
The Weekender

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Simon Cowell today heaped praise on Great Ormond Street Hospital as he became the latest high-profile backer of the Standard’s Give to GOSH appeal.

The media mogul described the hospital’s standard of care as “world class” and announced he is donating a prize to the campaign’s latest charity auction, which launched today.

The prize, which readers can bid for online, comprises two tickets to the Britain’s Got Talent semi-final in May, including the chance to meet Cowell himself, plus four tickets to a date on the X Factor tour.

Encouraging readers to “get bidding”, Cowell said: “I am delighted to donate this prize to the Evening Standard’s Give to GOSH auction… Whoever wins will be making a real difference to sick children and their families.

"The care on offer at GOSH is nothing short of world class and charitable donations are essential in allowing the hospital to maintain that incredibly high standard.”

His endorsement came as Barbara Gelb, CEO of children’s palliative care charity Together for Short Lives, of which Cowell is a patron, warned of an impending crisis in the sector.

Ms Gelb said: “A recent report, based on a study by the University of York, showed a 30 per cent increase in the number of children and young people with life-shortening conditions in Scotland over a 10-year period.

“This is a dramatic increase, and if it has also occurred across the UK, the current estimate of 49,000 children with life-shortening conditions could be a substantial underestimate.”

Ms Gelb suggested the increase was largely a consequence of medical advances but that a “crisis in public funding” means families “continue to lose daily battles for the care they require”.

She added: “This sorry state of affairs means that charities depend hugely on fundraising and public donations. That’s why this appeal and its support for GOSH’s Louis Dundas Centre, which does so much to further research into children’s palliative care, is so vital and timely.”

As well as helping fund the centre, money from the auction will go towards a specialist unit for children awaiting heart transplants, research into new treatments for children with rare diseases, and the hospital’s patient and family support programme.

Other lots include two nights at the five-star Conrad Algarve in Portugal and a lavish dinner for six including a Dom Perignon champagne reception at the Ivy’s sister restaurant 34.

#GivetoGOSH

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