UK aid helps children Born to Shine
The Born to Shine TV series has raised millions of pounds to save children’s lives around the world - with the help of UK aid.
The Born to Shine TV series has raised over £1.778 million for Save the Children’s charity work with the help of UK aid and the generous British public.
The money raised throughout the series will help save thousands of children’s lives around the world by treating and preventing childhood diseases.
The final show of the fundraising programme - which aired on ITV1 in the UK last Sunday - was backed by the Government’s new UK Aid Match scheme, which doubled the money pledged to Save the Children’s work overseas.
The programme’s host Natasha Kaplinsky said:
I am thrilled that Born to Shine has been such a huge fundraising success. I’ve visited Save the Children’s work in South Africa and India so I have seen first-hand just how needed this money is. It just goes to show that even through tough times, the great British public are still incredibly generous and always think of people worse off than themselves.
Public donations throughout the final episode of Born to Shine were matched pound for pound by UK aid. The extra support means Save the Children can help more mothers and children get vital health and nutrition in some of the world’s poorest countries.
By backing support for popular charity appeals like this, the new UK Aid Match scheme gives the public a say in how part of the aid budget is spent. Save the Children’s Born to Shine fundraiser is the first appeal to receive support from the scheme.
Inspired by Save the Children’s No Child Born to Die campaign, Born to Shine saw talented children mentor celebrities in a new skill in the weekly Sunday night series. The grand final on Sunday 21 August saw comedian Jason Manford being crowned as the Born to Shine winner in an amazing operatic performance.
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said:
The Born to Shine appeal will mean a brighter future for thousands of children, and is an excellent example of how the public, the Government and the charity sector can work together on the shared goals of improving the lives of some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world.
Save the Children Chief Executive Justin Forsyth said:
Born to Shine has been a huge success. It raised an impressive £1.778 million which will literally help us save thousands of children’s lives.
Born to Shine has played a vital part in Save the Children’s ongoing campaign No Child Born to Die, which aims to save 15 million children’s lives by 2015.
Donations can be given to Born to Shine until 30 September 2011 and the Government will continue to match fund donations for Save the Children’s overseas work until this date. Donations can be made:
- Online: www.savethechildren.org.uk/borntoshine
- By phone (in the UK): donate £5 by texting ‘SAVE’ to 70008