AN organisation which uses funds raised by the 5p plastic carrier bag charge has awarded £150,000 to a Glasgow children’s hospital.

The Morrisons Foundation granted the money to the Children’s Hospital charity to fund a state-of-the-art surgical microscope to the Children’s Hospital charity.

The Foundation learned of the charity’s appeal for funding from 13-year-old East Kilbride school girl Jenny Cook when she asked her local Morrisons store to help with a car boot sale.

Jenny, a Young Ambassador for the Charity and patient at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, suffers from the chronic bowel disease ulcerative colitis.

After an operation to remove her large bowel at just six-years-old Jenny embarked on a fundraising journey, and has received support from Morrisons in Stewartfield for many years.

After the charity submitted an application, a £150,000 grant was awarded earlier this year, and the surgical microscope has now been installed in the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.

The microscope will help thousands of children each year who undergo operations including facial reconstruction, cleft surgery, tumour removal and lower limb reconstruction.

The level of detail provided by the microscope will give surgeons the ability to make more informed decisions, improving the surgical outcome and reducing the psychological distress children often experience as a result of multiple operations.

Jenny said: “My local Morrisons store has helped me with lots of fundraising activities. The staff are lovely and are always so kind, I’ve been allowed to bake biscuits in the bakery, help as a florist and even got to cut the ribbon when the store re-opened.

“I’m very happy that the Morrisons Foundation gave Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity this donation, which is very generous and will help lots of boys and girls who are treated at the hospital like me”.

Shona Cardle, chief executive, Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity said: “We are hugely grateful to the Morrisons Foundation for this extremely generous gift, which will help to improve the treatment of so many children every year.

“The operations that these young patients require are often life-changing, and the importance of having the best possible equipment cannot be underestimated.

“It’s remarkable that our partnership with the Morrisons Foundation started with Jenny’s small but thoughtful gesture, and shows what can be achieved when we work together with local communities and businesses”.

David Scott, Trustee of the Morrisons Foundation added: “We are delighted to have awarded this grant to Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.

“The microscope will make a life-changing difference for thousands of children in Scotland and will help to improve young people’s lives for many years to come.”