US tycoon gives £200k as Mail Force hits £6.6m
IT HAS already raised more than £6.5 million to help deliver vital protective equipment to NHS and care workers on the frontline in the battle against coronavirus.
And yesterday Mail Force – a charity created by the Daily Mail and its partners – received another major boost as former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg donated £200,000.
The businessman and philanthropist, who briefly ran for the US presidency this year, pledged the generous donation after citing his companies’ ‘deep roots’ in Britain.
Mr Bloomberg, 78, said: ‘Protecting the frontline health workers who are risking their lives to help others during this crisis is vital.
‘We have deep roots in the UK and as we support relief efforts here, we are glad to help supply certified protective equipment to NHS workers across the country.’
The Mail Force charity was launched two weeks ago to help support NHS staff, volunteers and care workers as they fight against Covid-19. Thanks to donations from kindhearted Mail readers, corporate partners and philanthropists, it has been able to buy and deliver vital personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks and gowns, to those risking their lives to treat and care for others.
The fund has grown to £6.6 million, with donations pouring in daily.
More than 37,000 readers have donated an incredible £1.7 million to the charity, including one generous backer who has pledged £100,000 anonymously.
The figure is expected to surge in the coming days as the Mail Force team open thousands of donations sent in the post.
Many readers have donated money saved from their usual activities which have been put on hold due to the coronavirus lockdown.
With her donation, Joan Harris, from Wigan, wrote: ‘Both my husband and I are pensioners and we often treat ourselves to tea and cakes at our local cafe. Because we can’t do this, we are donating the money we have saved to this wonderful charity.’
Philanthropist backers include Tetra Pak tycoon Hans Rausing and his wife Julia, who donated £1million, and Sir Brian Souter, the founder of transport firm Stagecoach, who has matched £500,000 of readers’ donations.
Household names who have thrown their support behind the charity include Camilla, Duch
ess of Cornwall, Sir Cliff Richard and Sir Michael Caine.
Figures from the world of politics including former prime ministers Sir John Major and Gordon Brown have also backed the initiative.
Last month, Mail Force chartered a jumbo jet packed with 20 tons of personal protective equipment from Shanghai to London. The £1 million cargo included 50,000 medical coveralls and 100,000 masks. After passing safety tests, the equipment was delivered to a hospital, an ambulance trust and two care homes.
Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said the body ‘welcomed any initiative that helps frontline workers receive the appropriate, certified PPE equipment they need and ensures that deliveries are sustainable during the pandemic’.
Thanks to the generous support, plans are already under way to bring in further airlifts of vital PPE.