BBC Proms collection hits record £125,000
Howard Lake | 15 September 2026 | News
The bucket collection at the Last Night of the Proms 2026 has raised a provisional £125,534.53, a new record for Promenaders’ Musical Charities and beating the previous high set in 2019.
A provisional total, for now
Promenaders’ Musical Charities, the charity behind the collection buckets at the Royal Albert Hall throughout the BBC Proms season, says the figure still needs to be finalised. That involves converting donations made in foreign currencies into sterling, adding a final week of donations taken through the Hall’s own credit card terminals, which it allows the charity to use during the season, and cross-checking against bank statements, a process that occasionally turns up miscounts or, in rare cases, counterfeit notes or coins passed on in good faith.
Online donations made via the charity’s 2026 Season page in the coming weeks will still count towards this season’s final total.
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Distribution decided in November
Once the total is confirmed, the charity’s treasurer will prepare a formal statement of the amount available for distribution. The exact breakdown between this year’s five beneficiary charities will be decided at the trustees’ meeting in mid-November, with the final total and distribution announced once those charities have acknowledged receipt of their funds.
Applying for 2027
The collection buckets have now returned home until next July, when they will be relabelled for the 2027 season. Charities interested in being considered as beneficiaries of the 2027 collection should consult the charity’s Applications page, though it asks that charities do not submit applications until this year’s final total and distribution have been announced.
- BBC Proms charity collection is back to in-person (18 July 2022)
- BBC Proms charity collections move online for 2020 season amid COVID lockdown (15 July 2020)
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.