Ivan Martin Family Support Fund
Little Heroes, the charity for the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, has officially launched The Ivan Martin Family Support Fund, a major new initiative dedicated to providing vital financial assistance and emergency hardship relief to families navigating a child’s hospital journey.
The fund has been established as a lasting legacy to honour its namesake, Ivan Martin, who has retired as Chair of the charity after an extraordinary 32 years of voluntary service. To carry this work forward, the charity has also announced the appointment of Dr. Paul Jackson, a well-known Consultant Paediatrician at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, as the new incoming Chair.
The fund will make a gift of £25,000 a year to the hospital’s social work team to allow them to respond in real time to situations of significant financial hardship that are associated with caring for a sick child at the hospital.
Ivan Martin’s deep commitment to the charity began with a personal milestone over three decades ago. His son, James Martin, who would grow up to become a historic BAFTA and Academy Award-winning actor, was treated at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children as a child. After Mr. Stephen Potts, a renowned surgeon at the hospital, successfully saved James’s life, Mr. Potts and Dr. Mark Reid invited Ivan onto the board of the charity, which they had originally founded.
For the next 32 years, Ivan became a fierce champion for paediatric healthcare, ensuring the hospital had the advanced equipment, resources, and environment needed for children to heal, while never losing sight of the immense challenges facing their parents and siblings.
“The Ivan Martin Family Support Fund embodies everything Ivan championed during his three decades of leadership: care, kindness, dignity, and an absolute determination that no family at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children faces their hardest days alone,” said Mary McCall of Little Heroes. “While we will dearly miss Ivan’s leadership, this special fund ensures his spirit of compassion remains a permanent fixture on the hospital wards.”
Incoming Chair Dr. Paul Jackson added: “Ivan has been our leader, our mentor, and our friend. I am deeply honoured to step into the role of Chair and look forward to working alongside our medical teams and the newly formed Fund to ensure we continue to provide the world-class care and family support that Little Heroes is known for.”
The board, staff, and medical community extend their profound gratitude and admiration to Ivan Martin for a lifetime of devotion to the children and families cared for at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.