Royal charity polo match raises money for Evelina London Children's Charity

Evelina London Children's Charity is one of the beneficiaries of this year's DMMI Royal Charity Polo Cup, which raised more than £1 million for charitable causes supported by the Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Held at Guards Polo Club in Windsor, the annual event saw Prince William take to the field for the fifteenth time in support of charities making a difference to lives across the UK. The Princess of Wales, Patron of Evelina London, supported the event and presented trophies to the players following the match.

The Princess of Wales became a Patron of Evelina London in 2018. Since then, she has championed the work of Evelina London and its specialist teams who care for children with some of the most complex and serious health conditions from across south east England and beyond.

Gubby Ayida, chief executive of Evelina London, attended the event. She said: "We are enormously grateful to Their Royal Highnesses and everyone who contributed to the success of this fantastic day. It was a privilege to represent Evelina London alongside other wonderful charitable organisations.

For Evelina London to be recognised through this event is a real honour and an opportunity to showcase the difference charitable support makes for children and families. These funds will go directly towards the future children’s cancer Principal Treatment Centre at Evelina London.

At a recent visit, The Princess met patients, families and staff and learnt about Evelina London's ambitious plans to provide even better care for children and young people.

The Princess was given an overview of Evelina London's vision for the future, including becoming the future provider of very specialist children's cancer and blood and marrow transplant services for south London and much of south east England. 

Evelina London Children's Charity is playing a vital role in making these ambitious plans for expansion a reality, continuing to work towards becoming a comprehensive children's hospital.

Charitable funding will help provide equipment, enhanced patient and family spaces, specialist facilities and innovations that improve the experience of care.

Rob Halkyard, Executive Director of Evelina London Children's Charity, said:

The support raised through the Polo Cup will have a lasting impact on our plans for the future children's cancer services at Evelina London, helping us to create welcoming, family-focused spaces and invest in cutting-edge equipment for children facing cancer. Events like this not only provide vital funding, but also help raise awareness of our vision to transform care for children and young people across south London and the south east.