Stars turn out in force to launch Christmas Jumper Day, & more celebrity charity support news
Melanie May | 7 November 2024 | News
Which famous people are lending their support to good causes this autumn? From Vivek Singh to Alison Hammond, and the Princess Royal, find out who and how in our round up below.
Vivek Singh named as latest Action Against Hunger ambassador
Vivek Singh, author, celebrity chef, and owner of the Cinnamon Collection, has officially joined Action Against Hunger as the charity’s sixth ambassador.
Singh has already been supporting its work for over 20 years as an advocate for Action Against Hunger, and through helping to host many events for the charity including the annual Too Many Critics, Global Gastronomy and its Diwali banquets back in 2010 and 2011.
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Famous faces launch 2025’s Christmas Jumper Day for Save the Children UK
Dozens of famous faces across the worlds of TV, film, radio, comedy, music and sport have helped to launch Save the Children’s annual festive fundraiser, Christmas Jumper Day. The celebrity line-up includes singers Olly Murs and Myleene Klass, presenters Alison Hammond, Laura Whitmore and Sophie Morgan, actor and presenter Joe Swash, Loose Women panellist Nadia Sawalha, Love Island’s Olivia Bowen and actress Ashley Jensen.
The stars pulled on pre-loved festive knits to encourage the public to join in, in an eco-conscious way and donate to Save the Children this Thursday 12 December. Since launching in 2012, Christmas Jumper Day has raised over £37 million. The money raised supports children in the UK and around the world to stay safe, healthy and learning.
Nadiya Hussain launches new appeal for WaterAid
TV chef and WaterAid ambassador Nadiya Hussain MBE has launched the international charity’s ‘Where there’s water’ winter appeal, helping raise funds to turn on the taps in communities in Malawi and around the world.
The mother of three, who has supported WaterAid since 2016, saw first-hand the impact a lack of clean water can have on families during her childhood trips to visit her grandparents in Bangladesh. She’s said remembering the trips leaves her ‘in disbelief but better equipped’ to teach her children about the global water crisis and how they can work towards a better world together.
Olympian Sir Jason Kenny leads 874-mile trike ride with toddlers for Children in Need
Busy Bees is partnering with Team GB Olympic cyclist Sir Jason Kenny CBE to launch the Big Trike Ride for BBC Children in Need. Over 31,000 children at more than 350 Busy Bees centres across the UK will attempt to collectively trike, bike, or scoot 874 miles – the distance from Land’s End to John O’Groats – in November. Each child will be aiming to trike 40 metres, at nursery or home, to collectively cover the length of the country and raise funds.
Kenny has backed the initiative to officially launch the Big Trike Ride and inspire Busy Bees children and their parents to take part. The fundraising challenge forms part of Busy Bees’ new partnership with BBC Children in Need, which launched this year and aims to help every child across the UK thrive and be the best they can be. For the first time, Busy Bees’ toddlers and preschoolers will tackle the trike challenge in support of Paddy McGuinness’ Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge, which will see him ride 300-miles across three nations on a classic Chopper bike.
NSPCC launches Annual Number Day alongside HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh, a Patron of the NSPCC, officially launched the charity’s Number Day recently at Adventure Golf at the LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort. Number Day, which takes place on February 7 February 2025, is an inclusive maths-inspired fundraising day for children in nursery up to secondary school, with fun, free maths resources and activities like ‘dress up for digits’ and Buddy’s Key Challenge.
During her visit to LEGOLAND® Adventure Golf, The Duchess of Edinburgh met school children, as well as NSPCC volunteers, colleagues and LEGOLAND® Adventure Golf members of staff. The Duchess also played a few rounds of mini-golf and was presented with a bunch of flowers made entirely from LEGO®.
HRH The Princess Royal attends MND Association Countdown to a Cure reception
MND Association Royal Patron, HRH the Princess Royal, was presented with a copy of Countdown to a Cure at the reception last month, and listened to a keynote speech from MND Association’s Director of Research Development, Dr Brian Dickie MBE.
Her Royal Highness also had the opportunity to meet with guests, which included researchers, supporters, partners, funders and people affected by MND. In her speech, Her Royal Highness thanked everyone for their continued support of our ambition to find a cure for MND and highlighted the importance of collaboration and the need to move research from the laboratory into hospitals as quickly as possible.
Shabaz Ali becomes Save the Children UK ambassador
TikTok comedian and content creator Shabaz Ali has become Save the Children UK‘s latest ambassador. Ali, known as ‘Shabaz Says’ on his social media channels, creates comedic and light-hearted content that uses humour and satire to reflect and comment on the latest news and social trends, with a particular focus on poverty and discrimination. Outside of the internet, he is a secondary school chemistry teacher.
Over the last year, Ali has used his platform to showcase the work Save the Children does across the UK. He has volunteered his time at a food pantry supported by Save the Children in Manchester and campaigned to extend families’ access to Free School Meals. As well as supporting the charity’s annual Christmas Jumper Day fundraiser, he’s empowered young people to use their voices through political literacy project ‘Our Generation, Our Vote’, which gave children the opportunity to cast their ballot in a mock election for under 18s in England and Wales. As its latest ambassador, he will continue to work with the charity on campaigns close to his heart by using his platform to help raise money and ensure children’s voices are heard. He will also be taking his followers on a journey with him as he sets out to run the London Marathon in April 2025.
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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.