Matalan celebrates 10th year supporting Alder Hey

The Matalan X Alder Hey Children’s Charity campaign has become a well-known collaboration with the products and design eagerly sought after by families and customers each year. But for 2023, we see the most exciting year yet as Matalan celebrates its 10^th year supporting the charity.

The 2023 #TogetherForAlderHey campaign, is an overall celebration of the success over the past 10 years, including taking time to reflect on the families and ambassadors from previous campaigns, money raised annually and the amazing past designs, which all come together for this year’s print.

Look out for some of the most iconic designs in this year’s pyjamas; stripes, stars, spots and of course Alder Hey’s mascot ‘Oli the Elephant’ which are available in adult and children’s sizes, a baby grow and of course, a pet outfit – so the whole family can match! In addition to the pyjamas, to commemorate the 10-year anniversary, a brand new Snuggle Hoodie will also be available online for adults and children, however, it’s limited in numbers, so customers will need to be quick! As with previous years, 100% of all profits from the campaign will go towards the Alder Hey Charity.

The partnership started back in 2014 when Matalan pledged a five-year fundraising campaign to raise funds for Alder Hey’s new Research and Innovation Centre. The first year saw the arrival of the Alphabet Scarves – a celebrity-led global campaign, with ‘Bobble vs Beanie’ launching the following year in 2015. 2016 saw the first pyjama collection, #GetYourStripes, which instantly became a firm favourite with families across the UK, ultimately creating the eagerly anticipated ‘Matalan & Alder Hey Pyjama Campaign’ which Matalan customers now know and love and cannot wait to get their hands on year after year!

Matalan continued to raise vital funds for Alder Hey after smashing their initial pledge in the fourth year, nine years on the grand total stands at just over £4.2million! Within this time, Matalan is also proud to have contributed over £2.1m towards funding vital research at Alder Hey. Matalan has also backed the ‘7in10 Children’s Mental Health Appeal’, achieved a Guinness World Record for the most people linked whilst completing a 5k, as part of the ‘Together for Alder Hey’ campaign in 2019, and supported the Alder Hey Surgical Neonatal Appeal with the previous two campaigns.

Reflecting on the past 10 years, the campaigns have featured patients, their families and Alder Hey staff at the forefront – the true stars. To celebrate the 10^th year, a selection of previous ambassadors have returned to form this year’s campaign, including Erin Cross from ‘Alphabet Scarves’, Lewis Connett, from ‘Bobble Vs Beanie’, Lily Whitehead from ‘Get Your Stripes’, sisters Isabelle & Alayna Johnson from ‘Get Spotted’, Daniel Bell from ‘Be A Superstar’, Poppy Nesbitt, William Prince, Micah Acquah and Charlie Johnson from the previous four ‘Together for Alder Hey’ campaigns and it wouldn’t be a Matalan x Alder Hey campaign without introducing a new ambassador, therefore Jude Marchant will be joining the illustrious Matalan x Alder Hey family as the 2023 representative.

Proceeds from this year will go towards funding research projects at Alder Hey including developing a brand new Research Fellowship programme for nurses and allied health professionals.

Each of the child ambassadors’ stories can be found online as well as what they have all been up to since their last appearance in this iconic campaign.

The 2023 campaign is now live and products are available in selected stores and online – but you must be quick to snap up these sell out family pyjamas, which are a proven hit every year, and to continue to support this amazing cause!

“Wow, 10 years, what an incredible milestone for this amazing partnership! It’s my first Alder Hey Campaign for Matalan, and I couldn’t be prouder to be part of such a momentous one! I’d like to thank all our customers and colleagues who have supported Matalan and Alder Hey over the past 10 years. Alder Hey is a very special place, the work they do day in day out is inspiring, and with the help of our customers and this campaign we’ll raise even more money for such a worthy cause. I can’t wait to see everyone in their matching pyjamas!”
Jo Whitfield, CEO of Matalan

“We say it every year but it’s true; every campaign we do with Matalan just gets better and better! Being part of a Matalan campaign is a huge honour for the patient families that take part, and it’s fantastic to see so many families from previous years coming back to take part in this huge, fun celebration of the last 10 years! Matalan customers are truly amazing for supporting us year after year, and we know they will love this year’s unique design!”
Fiona Ashcroft, CEO of Alder Hey Children’s Charity said;