Chester Premier Inn team member Mike Cristea joined the fun and festivities at this year’s spectacular London Lord Mayor’s Show parade, having won a place in recognition of his fundraising efforts.

Mike was chosen to represent the hotel chain on the Premier Inn float in support of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity after being nominated by colleagues.

He has helped the team at Chester Central North Premier Inn raise £8,000 for the charity this year by organising a range of activities, including a bake-off, car wash day, name the bear competition, sponsored ten mile run around Chester and hotdog eating competition.

The float was designed to highlight the partnership between the hotel chain and the charity and featured artwork on the theme of dreams made by some of the hospital’s patients.

Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, which runs Premier Inn, has pledged to raise £7.5 million towards the Premier Inn Clinical Building, a new, state-of-the-art centre due to open in 2017. The much needed new facilities will provide more space, privacy and comfort for patients and families from across the UK, replacing outdated wards in some of the hospital’s oldest buildings.

Mike was joined on the float by patients from the hospital and fundraisers from Premier Inns across the UK. The group was cheered on by a crowd of around half a million people as the procession moved through the streets of the capital.

Mike said: “It was a real honour to be selected to be a part of the Premier Inn and Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity float. The day was really fun and everyone was in great spirits knowing that we were helping to raise awareness of such an amazing charity.”