Mission Christmas has raised £16.9 million this year, helping nearly 319,000 children across the UK receive gifts at Christmas.
The total, announced today by Bauer’s charity Cash for Kids, means 318,767 children were supported through this year’s appeal, marking a ten percent increase on last year’s final figure and reflecting the scale of need faced by families.
The campaign, which runs annually with the support of radio stations from across Bauer Media, faced record demand this year, with more applications received than ever before.
Despite the pressure, donations of money, gifts and volunteer time continued throughout December at Mission Christmas headquarters nationwide.
The announcement was shared on air by breakfast presenters across several Bauer stations, including Absolute Radio, Greatest Hits Radio, Hits Radio, KISS and Magic Radio.
Cash for Kids managing director Sally Aitchison said the response showed strong community spirit, adding: “It has been a tough year, but supporters really went the extra mile to donate, drop off gifts or volunteer, helping hundreds of thousands of children wake up to a present.”
A range of broadcasters and well-known supporters helped raise awareness, including Cash for Kids ambassadors Ant & Dec and tennis player Andy Murray, who supported fundraising activity with partners.
This story first appeared on radiotoday.co.uk