Wedding afterglow a boost for charities

IT WAS supposed to bring the nation together, raise some money for charity and celebrate the love between two people.

But the royal wedding has had a more unexpected impact: inspiring a new army of litter-pickers, for example.

The seven charities chosen by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for their gift list have reported the transformative effect of the wedding on their work, from funds to build a whole new clinic to a miniature artwork that could raise £100,000.

The list was intended to reflect the key issues the couple care about, from women’s empowerment to homelessness and the environment.

Chosen charities have reported a 100-fold rise in searches for their respective causes, signed-up members doubling and a fourfold increase in online donations.

Soon after Surfers Against Sewage was announced as one of the charities, it said nearly 16,000 new volunteers turned out to join its annual beach clean. Hugo Tagholm, the chief executive of the charity, said: “There is no doubt that the royal wedding effect brought more people to us, as well as a different type of people.”

The Myna Mahila Foundation in Mumbai said the increased interest from donors and sponsors would mean it could open a new day centre. Suhani Jalota, from the foundation, said visits to the charity’s website had increased more than 100-fold.

“With the funds received, we can open a day-care centre in the community, reach many more women at the doorstep in Mumbai’s slums and provide more holistic training and support to our community health workers,” she said. Artists have also donated remarkable miniature portraits of the Duke and Duchess to be auctioned, with a reported reserve price of £100,000 to shared between seven charities.