# Celebrities support the UK’s first Giving Tuesday

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/11/26/celebrities-support-uks-first-giving-tuesday/
- Published: 2014-11-26T10:12:11+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

In addition to over 600 charities and companies, celebrity supporters of charities
are lending their support to the UK’s first Giving Tuesday campaign which takes 
place on 2 December.

The campaign, part of a global day of charitable giving and support, encourages 
people to do at least one thing for a good cause, following the consumer hype of
Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The campaign, spearheaded in the UK by Charities Aid Foundation and Blackbaud, is
unusual in that it is devolved and open for any organisation and group to get involved
with. So, small charities, voluntary groups or arts organisations can use the Giving
Tuesday campaign and logo to promote support for their cause on the day.

## Advertisement

Not surprisingly, the celebrities are taking the opportunity of Giving Tuesday to
promote the cause that they support, and invite others to join them.

 

![Unselfie](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2026/09/unselfie-giving-tuesday.
jpg)

The #unselfie

 

One hallmark of Giving Tuesday is the [#unselfie](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/2013/11/27/will-selfie-upstaged-unselfie/)
photo with the #GivingTuesday hashtag, in which an individual can express their 
support for a particular cause.

## Celebrities backing #GivingTuesday

**Dame Helen Mirren, Age UK ambassador**

“Age UK’s vision is for a world where everyone can love later life. I am proud to
support the charity and their participation in the global #GivingTuesday campaign
which celebrates and encourages people to support these great causes”.

**Michael Palin, long-term supporter of international disability charity Motivation**

“On my travels I’ve been to many countries where people with a physical disability
are side-lined and ignored; very often seen as cursed and beyond hope. It’s heart-
breaking to see a human being discarded like this, just left in a corner of a room
without being able to offer any contribution. Motivation is working hard to change
this. They don’t just give people the right wheelchairs, they provide training and
support to the people who need it most.

“It’s this personal touch that makes Motivation one of the most humanising, and 
one of the most inspired, charities I know. Please support them by making a donation
on #GivingTuesday at motivation.org.uk. Everything you do to help Motivation means
that somebody, somewhere, gets their life back.

**Dame Kelly Holmes, double Olympic Champion and founder of the Dame Kelly Holmes
Trust**

It is fantastic that my charity, the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, is involved with #
GivingTuesday. For me, the thing that gets me up in the morning is knowing the complete
transformation young people go through when they are mentored by athletes on our
programmes. From being out of work, training or education, with low self-esteem 
and feeling hopeless – to confident, happy individuals who are ready to get out 
there and be the best they can be.

**Joanne Froggatt, patron of Rosie’s Rainbow Fund, which supports sick and disabled
children**

“I’m so pleased that Rosie’s Rainbow Fund has partnered with #GivingTuesday UK to
encourage support for charitable giving – especially during the holiday season. 
Rosie’s Rainbow Fund was founded to fulfil Rosie Mayling’s wish to help sick and
disabled children and raise money for the new children’s hospital in Oxford. Please
join with us on 2 December to give your voice and support to charities like Rosie’s
Rainbow Fund”.

**Lily Cole, founder of Impossible, a social giving network where people can make
a wish and help grant other people’s wishes**

“A big part of the heartbeat of what we are doing with Impossible is simple – pointing
out that giving is really receiving i.e. it makes you happy when you do!”

**Samantha Barks, singer and actress who supports Wateraid**

“Earlier this year I visited Madagascar with WaterAid where I spent time in a community
living without access to safe, clean water or toilets. Thanks to the amazing generosity
of WaterAid supporters, three months later WaterAid were able to install toilets
and taps into the village transforming the lives of the community living there. 
I’ve seen for myself how fundraising or volunteering for a charity can help transform
lives so please get involved this #GivingTuesday”.

 * **[DONATE launches fundraising competition for arts organisations for Giving Tuesday](https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/11/26/donate-launches-fundraising-competition-arts-organisations-giving-tuesday/)**(
   26 November 2014)
 * **[Six ways charities made the most of Giving Tuesday 2014](https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/12/02/fundraising-highlights-giving-tuesday-2014/)**(
   2 December 2014)
 * **[Online donations rise on UK’s first Giving Tuesday](https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/12/05/online-donations-rise-uks-first-giving-tuesday/)**(
   5 December 2014)
