‘Drive to Defeat Cancer’ campaign raises over €363,000 for the Marie Keating Foundation

Dalata’s ‘Drive to Defeat Cancer’ campaign raises over €363,000 for the Marie Keating Foundation

Funds raised have purchased two new Mobile Information Units

Dublin, 09 July 2024 – Dalata Hotel Group (“Dalata” or “the Group”), the largest hotel operator in Ireland, with a growing presence in the United Kingdom and continental Europe is proud to announce that, with tremendous commitment and effort from the Group’s employees in Ireland, it has raised over €363,000 for the Marie Keating Foundation. The fundraising effort is part of Dalata and the Marie Keating Foundation’s ‘Drive to Defeat Cancer’ campaign which is supporting the long-term future of the organisation’s lifesaving cancer outreach service.

The funds raised to date have contributed to the following:

• The purchase of two new Mobile Information Units.
• The delivery of 63,000 lifesaving conversations.
• Helped to fund five new specialist nurses, bringing the team to seven.

Every year in Ireland an estimated 42,000 people are diagnosed with cancer, meaning one in two of us will be affected in our lifetime. Together, Dalata and the Marie Keating Foundation are partnering to raise awareness through fundraising initiatives in support of Marie Keating’s community nursing and mobile information units and to help facilitate over 100,000 lifesaving conversations on spotting the early signs of cancer.

The mobile units, staffed by specialist nurses, offer free and accessible cancer education and support, ensuring that vital information reaches the heart of communities nationwide. As part of the partnership, the mobile units visit Dalata hotels across Ireland throughout the year, with local communities invited to come along and gain life-saving knowledge about early cancer detection and prevention.

In 2023 alone, Dalata employees raised €176,441 for the Marie Keating Foundation through various fundraising activities held across its portfolio of Irish hotels and at the Group’s Central Office. This adds to the €107,325 raised in 2022, alongside corporate donations amounting to €80,000, bringing the total contribution to over [€363,000].

Dalata Digs Deep

The Dalata ‘Drive to Defeat Cancer’ campaign is part of Dalata’s wider ‘Dalata Digs Deep’ fundraising initiative, that is currently running in its ninth year. As part of the initiative, Dalata employees voted to support charities in the health and wellbeing space for the period of 2022 to 2025. To ensure national-level impact, the Group has partnered with the Marie Keating Foundation in the Republic of Ireland, Leukaemia Care in Great Britain, and Air Ambulance NI in Northern Ireland.

Since the launch of the ‘Dalata Digs Deep’ initiative in [2016], the Group has fundraised over
[€1.6] million for its charity partners, contributing to a total donation of more than [€2] million, including matching corporate contributions.

Dermot Crowley, Dalata Hotel Group’s CEO commented on the achievement:

“We are thrilled that the effort made by our people across our hotels and at Central office has resulted in such a substantial donation to the Marie Keating Foundation thus far. Every year, our team across the Group dedicate substantial time and energy to fundraising for our charity partners, and their enthusiasm never ceases to impress me.

The Marie Keating Foundation is a remarkable organisation, and we are proud to support their vital work nationwide, encouraging life-saving conversations.”

Liz Yeates, Marie Keating Foundation CEO, said: “We are immensely grateful for the remarkable generosity and dedication shown by Dalata Hotel Group and its employees nationwide.

The funds raised have significantly enhanced our capacity to deliver essential cancer education and support through our nursing outreach services, enabling us to conduct 63,000 lifesaving conversations.

This partnership is crucial to our mission of saving lives by raising awareness and promoting early detection of cancer across communities in Ireland. Together, we are making a substantial impact in the fight against cancer.”

For more information about the Marie Keating Foundation’s mobile information units and to learn about upcoming public visits, please visit the Marie Keating Foundation website: https://mariekeating.ie/cancer-services/mobile-information-units/ .

About Dalata

Dalata Hotel Group plc is a leading hotel operator backed by €1.7bn in freehold and long leasehold assets in Ireland and the UK. Established in 2007, Dalata has become Ireland’s largest hotel operator with an ambitious growth strategy to expand its portfolio further in excellent locations in select, large cities in the UK and Continental Europe. The Group’s portfolio comprises 55 primarily four-star hotels operating through its two main brands, Clayton and Maldron Hotels, with 11,869 rooms and a pipeline of 1,096 rooms. For the year ended 31 December 2023, Dalata reported revenue of €607.7 million, basic earnings per share of 40.4 cent and Free Cashflow per Share of 59.7 cent. Dalata is listed on the Main Market of Euronext Dublin (DHG) and the London Stock Exchange (DAL). For further information visit: www.dalatahotelgroup.com

About the Marie Keating Foundation:

Following their mother Marie’s death from breast cancer in 1998, the Keating family promised to provide the people of Ireland with vital information, advice and support on the signs and symptoms of cancer and help to prevent cancer or detect it at its earliest stages. The Marie Keating Foundation was established in her memory and with this central ambition in mind.

The Foundation’s mission is to ‘make cancer less frightening by enlightening’ and our  vision is to ‘live in a world free from the fear of cancer’.
Today, the Foundation is one of the leading voices in Ireland for cancer prevention, awareness, and support services at every step of a cancer journey. The Foundation’s specialist nurses reach thousands of people every year, giving education, information and advice focused on all the common cancers, as well as providing support services and financial assistance to those living with and beyond cancer. For more, visit: www.mariekeating.ie.

Contacts