CREW and customers from two McDonald’s restaurants in Stirling raised over £520 for Kidney Kids Scotland and the World Kidney Day campaign.

The team raised the amount by selling pens and organising a raffle, where the top prize was a holiday to Majorca.

The two restaurants involved are owned and operated by local franchisee Elliot Jardine, who has supported the charity for five years.

Across his group of eight McDonald’s restaurants in Stirling, Falkirk, Grangemouth, Alloa, Newbridge and Corstorphine, his team have raised a total of £2359 for Kidney Kids Scotland this year.

Kidney Kids Scotland raise funds for children with renal and urology issues, with the aim of enabling children to be treated as close to home as possible.

The Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, is the centre for excellence with regards to renal issues, and certain conditions mean children and their families must make several visits per week.

The funds raised by Kidney Kids Scotland will go towards funding the HOME Haemodialysis Service, which was set up to try and bring services closer to home, as well as improving family areas and psychology services within the Glasgow and Edinburgh hospitals.

Kidney Kids Scotland also provides funds for the equipment and services at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children Edinburgh, for example, funding the teleconferencing service that allows children in Edinburgh to speak to consultants and experts in Glasgow.

To support World Kidney Day, Kidney Kids Scotland have partnered up with Glasgow Children’s Hospital to support their ‘Failure is Not an Option’ campaign.

Fundraiser at Kidney Kids Scotland, Carol Gray, said: “Kidney Kids Scotland would like to thank all the staff and customers at McDonalds who have taken part with such enthusiasm and energy in our World Kidney Day Campaign again this year. 

"Over the last five years Elliot Jardine’s restaurants have worked together to raise a whopping £9139.91 towards this campaign.

"This money has undoubtedly helped to improve services and treatment for our most chronically ill children. 

"Kidney Kids Scotland are a small charity and could not carry out the work that we do without such wonderful support.”

Business manager at the McDonalds in Stirling’s Town Centre, Craig Cadden, said: “We’re thrilled with the amount of money raised across Stirling and in our other restaurants.

"The work that the charity does is so important in Scotland and we have really enjoyed fundraising for it. We’d like to thank our customers and staff for participating in the fundraising and raffle. A great team effort.”