Sport Relief raises £38m
MORE than £38m has been raised for Sport Relief 2018.
As the biennial TV extravaganza drew to a close, the total figure for donations during the two-week event stood at £38,195,278.
Presenter Davina McCall said: “This evening, once again, we’ve seen the public show just how generous they are.
“I’ve been lucky to go and see the work made possible thanks to your donations and I can say for sure – it makes such a difference.
“Thank you, thank you, to everyone who has got active and supported Sport Relief.”
Liz Warner, chief executive of Comic Relief, said they were “as ever, humbled by the generosity of the British public”.
“(We) want to thank every single person who supported Sport Relief this year. We will spend the money with our partners here in the UK and around the world to help people tackle some of the toughest circumstances imaginable,” she said.
Gary Lineker, Claudia Winkleman, Ore Oduba, Paddy McGuinness and Freddie Flintoff took on hosting duties on Friday.
Kylie Minogue kicked off the show with a performance of her song Dancing, before joining other celebrities to man the phones and take charitable donations from the public.
American pop star Meghan Trainor was another highprofile star to answer calls before taking to the stage.
Hollywood actor Cuba Gooding Jr and former Doctor Who star David Tennant made emotional appeals to urge people to donate.
While sporting challenges and achievements were the leading focus, there were also plenty of comedy moments, including a pre-recorded skit with Sir Andy Murray.
BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James raised £1,090,522 for a gruelling bike and mountain challenge, while The One Show presenter Alex Jones and her team of four mums raised £799,991.
The 2018 event saw a difference to previous on-location appeals. The charity had been criticised for its celebrityfronted appeal clips and complaints were raised about “poverty tourism”.
Ms Warner said that Sport Relief film would now focus on “local heroes and local heroines talking to us about the work they’re doing”.
The last Sport Relief in 2016 raised a record-breaking £55,444,906.