How Rory McIlroy’s £1 million gift helped Daisy Lodge

Rory McIlroy loves to win. The Northern Irish golfer has four major titles, and he has never pretended otherwise. But his idea of winning goes beyond the golf course.

For McIlroy, success also means making a difference in the lives of others. That’s exactly why he donated £1 million to help establish Daisy Lodge, a therapeutic short-break centre in Newcastle, County Down, for children with cancer and their families. The centre, which started as a place of support for families facing difficult times, has now grown into something much bigger.

Ten years after opening, Daisy Lodge had provided more than 4,000 therapeutic short breaks, helping families spend time together away from the demands of hospital appointments and cancer treatment.Daisy LodgePeople go on holidays to picturesque places. But Daisy Lodge, set against the Mourne Mountains in Newcastle, County Down, was built for a different purpose. It was created for the hardest weeks a family can face.