Matt Baker takes up BBC Children in Need Rickshaw Challenge – & more celeb charity news
Melanie May | 19 October 2020 | News
Captain Sir Tom Moore becomes a podcast host for Age UK and Cadbury’s Donate Your Words campaign, while Matt Baker takes up BBC Children in Need’s Rickshaw Challenge once more, and Strictly contestant Jamie Laing joins Barnardo’s new dance challenge – and other celebrity news.
Captain Tom becomes podcast host for Age UK & Cadbury
Captain Sir Tom Moore has become one of Britain’s oldest podcast hosts by guest hosting The Originals, in partnership with Cadbury and Age UK. As part of their Donate Your Words campaign, The Originals saw Captain Tom in conversation with older guests from across the country. To encourage more people to start a conversation with an older person, The Originals podcast shows listeners some of the best questions they could ask older people, to uncover unexpected tales and common experiences. As host, Captain Tom finds out about a 79-year-old woman’s kiss with Elvis Presley, and talk to to an award-winning, investigative journalist fighting against climate change for over half a century.
Anya Hindmarch appointed Royal Marsden Cancer Charity trustee
Baroness Bloomfield and designer Anya Hindmarch have been appointed as trustees for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which raises money solely for The Royal Marsden. Hindmarch has been a supporter of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity since a family member was treated at the hospital in 2009. They will take over from Richard Turnor and Richard Oldfield who are leaving the board after nine years.
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Lorraine Kelly hosts STV telefundraiser
Lorraine Kelly once again hosted the STV Children’s Appeal’s annual TV fundraising event, which took place on Friday 16 October. The event also featured a performance from Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro. The telefundraiser – which airs every autumn to raise money for vulnerable children and young people across Scotland – celebrated its tenth show this year. Kelly was joined by fellow STV stars including Sean Batty, Andrea Brymer and Laura Boyd to present the hour-long programme.
Jamie Laing backs Barnardo’s Dance Challenge
TV star and Barnardo’s ambassador Jamie Laing is backing Barnardo’s new Dance Challenge, which will see people dance for 60, 90 or 120 minutes a day for seven days in a bid to raise money to help fund the charity’s services. It is free to sign up for the challenge and participants are encouraged to aim to raise £150 in sponsorship.
Photo credit: Joseph Sinclair
BHF appoints celebrity ambassadors
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has appointed Luke Pritchard (pictured), Gemma Atkinson & Yinka Bokinni as ambassadors; they will be announcing extraordinary ‘Heart Heroes’ alongside the Duchess of York at the charity’s Heart Hero Awards. The Kooks singer Luke Pritchard, actress Gemma Atkinson and presenter Yinka Bokinni all have a strong connection to the charity’s cause and will start their ambassadorship by attending this year’s virtual BHF Heart Hero Awards ceremony on Tuesday 20 October at 7-9pm. Luke will also be performing during the event, alongside chart topper singer Ella Henderson.
Matt Baker returns for BBC Children in Need’s Rickshaw Challenge
Matt Baker is returning for the 10th year of The Rickshaw Challenge for BBC Children in Need. He will once again be joining a team of six young people to take on the challenge. This year will see the annual challenge tell the stories of its young riders as it always has, but with a slightly different format due to Covid-19 restrictions. The team plan to ride the equivalent of Baker’s first solo Rickshaw ride in 2011, from Edinburgh to London – 332 miles in a straight line – but from within the grounds of Goodwood. The team plan to take on the challenge, starting on Friday 6 November, and will have to cover a variety of terrains to reach their target each day, in time for a live broadcast into The One Show each evening at 7pm.
Happy World Menopause Day! Too many women are not receiving adequate help, support and treatment. This needs to change and The Menopause Charity we have set up will help this @LizEarleMe @reallorraine @ThisisDavina @lorrainecandy @NHSuk @FourteenFish @rcgp @matthew_cripps1 pic.twitter.com/TiFWcTHuMj
— Dr Louise Newson (@drlouisenewson) October 18, 2020
New Menopause Charity receives celebrity backing
The new Menopause Charity’s crowdfunding campaign had a celebrity-charged boost on World Menopause Day, Sunday 18 October, as Davina McCall, Lorraine Kelly and Liz Earle joined the charity’s founder, Dr Louise Newson for an online wellness festival open to all on Facebook. The celebrities, along with menopause author Meg Mathews, have agreed to become ambassadors for The Menopause Charity, which is crowdfunding this month to help it smash the stigma around menopause. The charity will provide holistic support and fact-checked medical information for women, as well as offering education modules for NHS doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals on the menopause.
Ready for a bedtime story?
On #WorldSightDay I’m bringing attention to the importance of clear sight for kids with @OneSight.
I’ve recorded a story from Through the Looking Glasses, a new kids book about the power of glasses.
➡ Live at 7pm EST at https://t.co/OuxGBxNSND. pic.twitter.com/apgnNwouIY
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) October 8, 2020
Authors, illustrators & celebs join forces for World Sight Day book launch
A children’s anthology launched for World Sight Day this month, with contributions from famous authors from all over the world, and celebrities reading the short stories aloud. Through The Looking Glasses: Stories About Seeing Clearly includes stories and illustrations from authors and illustrators, including Michael Morpurgo, Quentin Blake, Lauren Child, David Baddiel, Dermot O’Leary and the current UK Children’s Laureate, Cressida Cowell. The anthology has been put together by global sight charity Clearly to highlight to highlight the 300 million children globally who have uncorrected poor vision, and is part of its ‘Glasses in Classes’ campaign which seeks to get sight tests, affordable glasses and other treatments into every school in the world. The book was released with a global bedtime story series, with a celebrity reading the short stories when the sun went down in each time zone around the world. The readers include Billie Jean King, the tennis legend, film star Michelle Yeoh, comedian Adam Hills, and Princess Alia of Jordan.
Damon Hill & Jenny Jones join Snow-Camp Charity Golf Day
Youth charity Snow-Camp hosted its one and only, in person, fundraising event of the year at Bush Hill Park Golf club on 24 September. The Charity Golf Day was attended by Snow-Camp’s Olympic medallist patron, Jenny Jones, who was on hand to cheer on the 19 participating teams, along with F1 World Champion Damon Hill. The competing teams raised £15,000 which the charity will use to continue its mental health initiatives that are helping young people across the UK who are struggling with bereavement, job losses, loneliness and relationship breakdowns caused by Covid-19.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.