STV Children’s Appeal raises more than £3.1m for charities
Famous faces helped raise the total as the tele-fundraiser aired at Street Soccer in Dundee on Friday.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Children living in poverty in Scotland will benefit from more than £3.1 million in funding from the STV Children’s Appeal.
Famous faces took part in the fundraiser, including Ewan McGregor, who surprised a nine-year-old Star Wars superfan Callum Martin.
Mr McGregor appeared on screen during Friday’s tele-fundraiser to deliver a personalised message to the boy, who says he struggled to make friends due to his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism.
The show was broadcast from indoor football centre Street Soccer in Dundee and was presented by Lorraine Kelly and Still Game star Sanjeev Kohli.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also appeared on the show to describe some of the challenges experienced by families during the cost-of-living crisis.
She said: “Every pound donated is more special as it’s so much harder to come by.”
Ms Sturgeon also confirmed the Scottish Government will continue its support for the appeal.
The annual total of £3,172,589 raised by the charity takes its overall fundraising amount to more than £32 million since 2011.
Line of Duty actor Martin Compston made an appearance as he visited the Street Soccer club in his hometown of Greenock, Inverclyde, for a kickabout and to learn more about how the charity supports young people through training and development opportunities.
We will now begin the process of immediately distributing these funds to incredible charities who work tirelessly to support the children and young people affected by poverty across Scotland
Paul Reynolds, chair of STV Children’s Appeal, said: “We are absolutely delighted to see such a huge amount of money raised by the STV Children’s Appeal, particularly given the difficult circumstances many people have faced this year.
“The continued kindness of our viewers, community fundraisers, corporate partners, STV colleagues and the people of Scotland is truly commendable and something that we celebrate every year through our appeal show.
“We will now begin the process of immediately distributing these funds to incredible charities who work tirelessly to support the children and young people affected by poverty across Scotland.
“On behalf of everyone at the STV Children’s Appeal, I’d like to offer my sincerest thanks to everyone who fundraised and donated.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.