Guardian Charity Appeal Hails £200,000 Success Before Annual Telethon
The Guardian's annual charity appeal for grassroots groups promoting unity, tolerance, and positive change has reached a milestone, raising over £200,000 in its first week. This impressive amount is expected to be surpassed when the annual fundraising telethon gets underway on Saturday.
The appeal supports five charities: Citizens UK, The Linking Network, Locality, Hope Unlimited, and Who Is Your Neighbour?. Their projects foster community resilience, relationships, hope, and pride through initiatives such as arts schemes, youth clubs, and refugee welcome projects. These efforts focus on key issues like affordable housing and provide a platform for people to find common ground.
The Guardian has recently highlighted the work of some of its partner charities, including The Linking Network's programme that brings together primary school children from different faiths in Bradford, and Back On The Map's efforts in Sunderland following riots in 2024. These examples underscore the impact of grassroots initiatives in building stronger communities.
Matthew Bolton, CEO of Citizens UK, expressed gratitude to Guardian readers for their donations, which will support young organisers through mentoring and placements, as well as training community leaders to promote unity. Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief of The Guardian, described the appeal's theme – hope – as "unapologetic," highlighting the need to counter polarisation and distrust with positive change.
The annual telethon, which takes place on Saturday from 10am to 6pm, features a team of over 40 journalists answering calls, including Hugh Muir, Amelia Gentleman, Owen Gibson, Helena Horton, Annie Kelly, and Sirin Kale. The number to call is 0203 353 4368.
The Guardian's annual charity appeal for grassroots groups promoting unity, tolerance, and positive change has reached a milestone, raising over £200,000 in its first week. This impressive amount is expected to be surpassed when the annual fundraising telethon gets underway on Saturday.
The appeal supports five charities: Citizens UK, The Linking Network, Locality, Hope Unlimited, and Who Is Your Neighbour?. Their projects foster community resilience, relationships, hope, and pride through initiatives such as arts schemes, youth clubs, and refugee welcome projects. These efforts focus on key issues like affordable housing and provide a platform for people to find common ground.
The Guardian has recently highlighted the work of some of its partner charities, including The Linking Network's programme that brings together primary school children from different faiths in Bradford, and Back On The Map's efforts in Sunderland following riots in 2024. These examples underscore the impact of grassroots initiatives in building stronger communities.
Matthew Bolton, CEO of Citizens UK, expressed gratitude to Guardian readers for their donations, which will support young organisers through mentoring and placements, as well as training community leaders to promote unity. Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief of The Guardian, described the appeal's theme – hope – as "unapologetic," highlighting the need to counter polarisation and distrust with positive change.
The annual telethon, which takes place on Saturday from 10am to 6pm, features a team of over 40 journalists answering calls, including Hugh Muir, Amelia Gentleman, Owen Gibson, Helena Horton, Annie Kelly, and Sirin Kale. The number to call is 0203 353 4368.
it's like they're already breaking records and it's only the beginning!!! i mean think about it, these charities are doing real work on the ground, bringing people together and creating positive change in our communities... it's like, we need more of that rn! 
and the fact that katharine viner is calling out the need for "hope" is just giving me LIFE 
because let's be real, we're living in some crazy times right now and we need more love and unity in our lives. i'm so grateful to the guardian for hosting this amazing appeal and i'm so excited for the telethon on saturday... who's with me? 
! £200k in just one week is insane, especially considering the important work these charities do 
. And can we talk about the telethon? With Hugh Muir and all those other talented journalists on board, it's gonna be a wild ride 
! Let's get ready to give those charities some serious love 
...
. it's so important we support grassroots initiatives like this - the positive change they bring is exactly what we need right now 
. can't wait to watch the telethon on saturday and hear from all those journalists on the line 
I'm so impressed with how much the Guardian's charity appeal has raised already! £200k in just one week is amazing 
. It's great to see grassroots groups getting support for their unity and tolerance projects - community resilience is key in these crazy times 
£200k in just one week is amazing, especially considering it's all for grassroots groups doing incredible work on unity and positivity 
. I mean, who doesn't need a bit more hope and community spirit in their lives? 
like what's next? raising a billion dollars or something 
but seriously, these charities are doing real work with their projects... arts schemes for kids and refugee welcome programs? that's some awesome stuff 
. Like, £200k in a week? That's just a drop in the ocean compared to what big corporations make in a day 
it's so cool! i'm also super excited that some of my fave journalists will be on the telethon - can't wait to call in and support the cause 
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. And I love how Katharine Viner described the appeal's theme of hope as "unapologetic" - we need more positivity and less polarisation in our lives! 
These charities are doing some amazing work, bringing people together and promoting unity. It's about time we focus on the positives instead of all this drama and polarisation, right? 
Anyway, let's get ready to donate (or not) and tune in to the telethon on Saturday!