British Government to boost public support to charity appeals

15 August 2011

 
Public support for charity appeals will be matched pound for pound under a new scheme recently launched by the Government. The first appeal to receive support from the scheme is Save the Children’s ‘Born to Shine’ fundraiser on ITV1.

The UK Aid Match scheme will see the Government double money donated by the public to appeals for charity projects in developing countries, thereby giving the British public a say in how part of the aid budget is spent.

‘Born to Shine’, is part of Save the Children’s ‘No Child Born to Die’ campaign, which aims to stop the needless deaths of 8m children under 5 every year.

Born to Shine has been playing on ITV1 throughout the summer. On the 21st August at 7.30pm celebrities such as Nick Moran and Tracy-Ann Oberman will compete with their new found skills in the live final. Funds donated to the appeal by the British public to help children in developing countries will be matched pound for pound by the Government. Money will be raised throughout the show through public donations.

This input will fund Save the Children’s work, helping more mothers and children get vital health and nutrition support in some of the world’s poorest countries.

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said:

“Every day, the British public demonstrates its generosity and commitment to reducing poverty in the developing world by donating their money to appeals and charities.

“By matching pound for pound the money that people give, the Government and the British taxpayer will be supporting their choice and contributing to poverty reduction in developing countries.

“Save the Children’s Born to Shine appeal will contribute to a brighter future for thousands of children, and today’s announcement 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.”

Justin Forsyth, CEO of Save the Children said:

“We are delighted the Government is going to match every pound that people donate for children overseas through ITV’s Born to Shine appeal for Save the Children. This Sunday is the final show of the series and we hope people will feel even more inspired to pick up the phone and donate to help children overseas, knowing that their gifts will be doubled thanks to the Government’s funds too.”