Please take a selfie for Ronald

Did you think I had emigrated ?  Gone, perhaps, to live on the dark side of the moon ? Even been abducted by aliens ? It has been a few days since my last diary entry so where have I been ?

I've been to McDonald's ! 

There's nothing quite like a McDonald's you know. 

When did you last go to your local branch ?

I want you to go again - SOON.

When you are there enjoying your burger and fries I want you to throw a few coins in Ronald's spinner then send me a selfie.

Will you do that for me ?

Will you do that for the families of sick children in hospital whose hands Ronald McDonald is holding so tightly ?

The picture at the top of the page shows Your Truly, the old guy with the long hair, with Ken a McDonald's Franchisee and Laura his Marketing Manager.  Yesterday we sat talking about Ronald McDonald and the incredible work he does. The reason why I have not written a diary entry for a few days has nothing to do with aliens, the dark side of the moon and no I have not been sitting in McDonalds stuffing my face with my favourite menu item - a plain quarter pounder with cheese, served as a large meal with a diet Coke. I have been working flat out on a website for the OurRebekah project.

You do know what Ronald does for families of sick children in hospital don't you ?  I wonder if you do.  Probably not. The international fast food giant may scream THERE'S NOTHING QUITE LIKE A McDONALD'S or AT McDONALD'S WE'VE GOT TINE FOR YOU but it keeps its charity arm very quiet, modestly working every day to support families with children sick in hospital.

The lad throwing some coins here into Ronald's spinner in his local McDonald's is Adam.  

His favourite is chicken nuggets. If you ask me he is a bit old for a Happy Meal but he likes the toys in the box !   This picture was taken when Adam went to The Golden Arches for a

birthday treat a few weeks ago.  Usually Auntie Rebekah would be there with him and ready to tuck into a chicken meal. On Adam's seventh birthday Beck was too poorly to be there but here she is on Adam's fourth birthday.

Beck that chicken thingy looks good.

When Rebekah was a little girl, for most of her childhood, she was in and out of Guys Hospital in London being treated for chronic renal failure.

The skills and dedication of the medical team was so great, so loving, so skilled.  I am a great fan of the NHS, I never stop shouting my mouth off about it. Last week I wrote to the Prime Minister and made sure she knew how highly I rate our NHS.

When Rebekah was in hospital her family was supported by Ronald McDonald.  Without Ronald holding our hands I can not begin to think how we could possibly have coped.

Look at Ronald's logo.  It is actually NOT a house, it is a home - a home away from home. There is Ronald holding the hand of the family.  Ronald McDonald provides FREE of charge a home

away from home for the families of sick children in hospital.  My family was one of the first to be taken care of by Ronald in his first UK house.  There are now fifteen Ronald McDonald Houses up and down Britain. There are THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVE in forty different countries of the world.  Every minute of every day Ronald is lovingly holding the hands of countless families at a very difficult time.

Speaking to Franchisee Ken yesterday, he said working at McDonald's is like working in a family.  I do not know the exact figure but I think it is somewhere between three and four hundred people Ken employs in his five McDonald's franchises. Those family members, as well as serving the burgers and fries, not to mention the breakfast hash browns and porridge, support Ronald and all he does for his families. Not keen on the porridge myself, that's my wife's dish, but I love McDonald's hash browns - YUMMY.  So does my best friend Jake.

When a child goes into hospital Ronald takes the family's hand and says: "Hey come and join my family."

Rebekah passed away last month.  She and our family have always supported Ronald, every time Adam and his brother go to McDonald's they have coins ready to throw in the spinner.  It was not me but Rebekah's friends who came up with the OurRebekah Project to support Ronald's work in Beck's memory. I am just working to help them.

I am working to support Beck's Friends to support Ronald McDonald as he supports families of sick children in hospital.  Do you follow all that ?

So my absence from the diary pages has been down to my writing the OurRebekah website.  It should be finished today. Just then need to get a few good friends to beta test it and it will be properly published on Friday.  You are welcome to have a look at it as I work - go on see how many TYPO's you can find ! I dare you !

What I want you to do is to go to your local McDonald's, throw a few coins into the spinner and take a selfie. Then send me that selfie to add to the OurRebekah website.

Will you do that for me ?  

Will you do it for Ronald ?  

Will you do it within the next couple of days ? 

PLEASE.