Ronald McDonald House

Willmott Dixon is proud to have created a new ‘home away from home’ in central London for families whose children are being treated at Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

There are 14 Ronald McDonald Houses in the UK and this project involves the relocation and expansion of the current Guy’s and St. Thomas’ House, which like the other Ronald McDonald Houses provides free accommodation on or near hospital grounds for families of children undergoing treatment in hospital.

Spacious and comfortable

The Ronald McDonald House Evelina London will have 59 en-suite bedrooms where families can stay free of charge, as well as communal kitchens, lounges and playrooms. Families will be able to stay for as long as they need – enabling them to be on hand for their child at a moment’s notice.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity provided the land for the new House and helped to bring together the parties involved in the project, and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust which includes Evelina London.

Jon Haward, Director of Ronald McDonald Charities:

“Each year thousands of children are admitted to Evelina London Children’s Hospital for treatment, and having somewhere to stay free of charge away from the hospital makes a big difference to these families at a stressful time. I am pleased that Ronald McDonald House Charities has been able to work with partners to provide a much-needed facility that will make a real difference to families from London, south east England and further afield.”

The new House replaces the Charity’s 20-bedroom House near Guy’s Hospital, providing a larger facility which is closer to Evelina London.

Construction challenges

This is an extremely tight site as the new building footprint takes up the majority of the footprint, requiring a strict delivery protocol to ensure the smooth running of the project.

Community

The site is adjacent to Fairley House SEN school and our team are ensuring minimal disruption to everyone based locally. We have already helped a local charity called ‘Friends of Archbishops Park’, which looks after the park and arrange various conservation events to maintain the green space. We have helped them create a new pond and made commitments to help with other events in the future.