Northern Ireland pizzeria brand Little Wing has announced a new year-long charity partnership with children’s charity Little Heroes, supporting its vital work with children living with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions across Northern Ireland.
Little Heroes is the independent charity raising funds exclusively for the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC)—Northern Ireland’s only specialist paediatric hospital, helping children like three-year-old Alex Chambers from Newtownards, Co. Down.
Alex was just 18 months old when life for her and her family took an unimaginable turn in December 2023. While lying peacefully in her cot, Alex suddenly suffered a brain haemorrhage. Initially taken to the Ulster Hospital, a 26-strong crash team fought to stabilise Alex before she was urgently transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital to undergo emergency surgery and placed into intensive care, where she remained in a coma for almost a week, under the careful watch of a robust team of medical professionals.
During those dark hours, the dedicated team at the paediatric wing were continuously on hand for Alex’s mum Nadine and family, providing vital care and support through the way of professional counselling for the family.
Joining members of the Little Wing team and Little Heroes ambassador and comedian Paddy Raff to launch the partnership, Nadine said, Alex’s journey highlights the importance of the emotional, practical and financial support provided by Little Heroes for families navigating serious childhood illness. “In our darkest hour, Little Heroes gave our family the support and hope we needed,” says Nadine. “Alex is making incredible progress, and we will be forever grateful to the charity and all of the incredible team at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC). We have been proud to support the charity on a numbr of fundraising initiatives over the last few years and it’s great to see local businesses like Little Wing putting their support behind the charity’s life-saving work. Alex is a huge Little Wing fan, so when she heard about this partnership, she was very excited.”
Through this new partnership, Little Wing will raise both funds and awareness for Little Heroes throughout the year, helping the charity continue to provide care, comfort and memorable experiences for children and families when they need it most.
As part of the collaboration, all 11 Little Wing restaurants will take part in a series of coordinated fundraising initiatives in the next 12 months, including a £1 charity uplift on selected Little Wing specials, staff-led challenges and participation in fundriaising events and community activities.
Planned initiatives include Little Wing teams taking part in the Belfast City Marathon, an abseil challenge at Fairhead, and an additional outdoor endurance challenge later in the year. Fundraising will also be supported through dedicated events, seasonal campaigns, and a Christmas initiative aligned with Little Heroes’ Sparkle Season, bringing staff together to support children and families during the festive period.
All Little Wing restaurants will have Tap and Go donation points and provide tailored colouring in sheets to Little Wingers to encourage cutomers to get to know more about the work of Little Heroes.
Commenting on the partnership, Jamie Mendez, Operations Manager at Little Wing, said: “At Little Wing, we’ve always strived to make a positive impact in the communities we serve, and partnering with Little Heroes will help us support so many families when they need it most. Hearing Alex’s story really brought home the incredible work the charity does for children and their families during the most challenging times. We’re incredibly proud to support Little Heroes over the year ahead and to play our part in helping them continue their amazing work.”
Tom Boyd, Head of Philanthropy & Corporate Relationships at Little Heroes, added: “We are delighted that Little Wing has chosen Little Heroes as their charity partner. As a great supporter of the local community Little Wing is a perfect fit and will no doubt create a lot of awareness as well as raising vital funds for us through their various customer initiatives and staff events.
“It is through generous community support such as this, that Little Heroes is able to fund vital projects at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, such as purchasing cutting-edge medical equipment, funding education and research into the treatment of childhood illness, and most importantly supporting the parents and siblings of sick children during challenging times.
“I know our partnership with Little Wing will be hugely successful and we are really looking forward to the year ahead.”
Little Wing first opened in Belfast in 2009 and has grown to become one of Northern Ireland’s best-loved pizzeria brands, known for its Naples-style pizzas and strong community ethos.
Further details on fundraising activities linked to the partnership will be announced throughout the year.
For further information visit www.littlewingpizzeria.com or connect with Little Wing on Instagram @littlewingpizzeria