A McDonald’s employee has raised £1,500 to help families of sick kids by running the Battersea Half Marathon.

Dean Jeffrey, a crew member from the McDonald’s Orpington restaurant on 291/293 High Street, raised the money for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK.

Ronald McDonald House Charities UK provides vital support to thousands of families across the UK at each of its 14 locations.

The Houses, located next to major hospitals, allow families to be by their child's bedside in a matter of moments, whilst maintaining a degree of normality during very difficult times.

The local Ronald McDonald House in Camberwell supported 230 families, during their time of need.

The owner of eight McDonald's restaurants in south east London, Bill Perea, gave a big surprise to Camberwell House when he donated a cheque worth £1,500.

Bill’s team are long-standing supporters of the children’s charity raising funds throughout the year.

They recently rallied together to support Dean by organising a ‘Guess the running time’ crew competition throughout November and were there with banners and cheers of support to welcome Dean at the finish line.

Bill said: “I’m so proud of Dean and all my employees for their hardworking fundraising efforts for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK.

“The Houses help provide vital support for families in need all over the UK and I am honoured to be able to help support them and continue to raise funds wherever we can.”

Ronald McDonald House Charities UK supports families like Amy and Alex, a couple who stayed at the Camberwell, Brighton, and Evelina homes with their daughter Alina, while their youngest daughter Anela received medical care at different children's hospitals.

Anela was born prematurely.

Weighing just 725g at birth, Anela was immediately rushed into intensive care at a hospital many miles from the family home.

Amy, Alex, and Alina were thrown into a foreign world of hospitals, ventilators, and incubators.

Alongside the complications from a premature birth, baby Anela suffered from sepsis twice, contracted respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and had to be induced into a coma, all within the start of her young life.

Amy, the mum of the family, commented specifically on the Camberwell House: “The staff at the House were wonderful and so good with Alina.

“She’d hit a really rough patch by that point.

“We’d been away from home for nearly two months, and she was having a lot of tantrums.

“They did arts and crafts and games with her, which I really appreciated.

“It was so nice to have the support of the staff at that time, as we continued to navigate choppy waters with a very sick baby in hospital.”