# £500k donation from Rio Ferdinand helps Cash for Kids Mission Christmas appeal top £15 million

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/01/03/500k-donation-rio-ferdinand-helps-cash-kids-mission-christmas-appeal-top-15m/
- Published: 2017-01-03T09:27:16+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**A £500k donation of toys and gifts from Rio Ferdinand has helped the 2016 [Cash for Kids Mission Christmas appeal](http://www.cashforkids.uk.com/mission/)
reach a total of £15,437,328 in gifts and money. **

 

Cash for Kids is the Bauer Radio’s network of local charities, which raise money
for children local to its network of radio stations. Former England football captain
Ferdinand and his Rosso Restaurant announced the gift in December with a post on
Facebook, pledging the amount to Bauer’s Manchester radio station Key 103’s Mission
Christmas appeal.

## Advertisement

 

> Me & [@RossoRestaurant](https://twitter.com/RossoRestaurant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> are doing our bit this Xmas for [#missionchristmas](https://twitter.com/hashtag/missionchristmas?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)@
> CFKKEY103 with [@KEY103](https://twitter.com/key103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) come 
> on get involved Manchester!
> — Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) [December 15, 2016](https://twitter.com/rioferdy5/status/809309589531398144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

 

The campaign featured across the Bauer City Network of radio stations including 
Key 103 as well as Wave 105, Downtown Radio and Cool FM. For the first time the 
appeal also ran on Gem, Magic and Absolute Radio, and with a text donate call to
action on Planet Rock, asking people UK-wide to donate gifts in partnership with
Wickes and other local sponsors of the charity around the country.

 

Key 103’s charity manager Russell Feingold said;

 

> “We are overwhelmed by Rio’s amazing contribution.  This is going to help so many
> young children.“

 

> LISTEN AGAIN: The moment [@rioferdy5](https://twitter.com/rioferdy5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> donated half a million pounds worth of toys to @CFKKEY103 [#missionchristmas](https://twitter.com/hashtag/missionchristmas?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw):
> [https://t.co/3ABaILIIhk](https://t.co/3ABaILIIhk) [pic.twitter.com/YYJ6Slbuds](https://t.co/YYJ6Slbuds)
> — Hits Radio News | Manchester (@hitsmcrnews) [December 15, 2016](https://twitter.com/hitsmcrnews/status/809338662601232385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

 

Mission Christmas also received support on social media from other celebrities including
former Spice Girls Geri Horner and Melanie C, Ant & Dec, Cheryl Cole and ex-One 
Direction star Liam Payne. Cash for Kids was also the beneficiary of the Mother &
Baby awards for the third year running, receiving more than £330,000 of product 
donations from nursery brands as a result.

 

Overall, £2,897,259 was donated to the Key 103 Mission Christmas campaign, enabling
the charity to support over 60,000 local children, The overall total of £15.4m will
enable the charity to support 362,694 children across the UK.

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 * **[Phyllida Law records BBC Radio 4 appeal for Fight for Sight](https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/12/10/phyllida-law-records-bbc-radio-4-appeal-fight-sight/)**(
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