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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
Entertainment
Alasdair Clark

Coronavirus Scotland: Huge names including Annie Lennox, Sir Chris Hoy announced for PPE fundraiser

Scots celebs including Annie Lennox and Martin Compston will take part in an epic livestream fundraiser to aid the fight against coronavirus.

DJ Edith Bowman will host the evening which is to be held in aid of Masks For Scotland which is sourcing urgently needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health and care workers.

Singer, songwriter and activist Annie Lennox is the newest addition to lineup for the night, billed as For the Love of Scotland.

Organisers promise the performance by Lennox on Wednesday (22 April) will be "extremely special".

Joining Lennox will be a host of Scots talent including singer KT Tunstall, Line of Duty star Martin Compston and comedian Janey Godley.

Also appearing will be Olympian Sir Chris Hoy, author Ian Rankin and Rangers legend Ally McCoist.

The Masks for Scotland crowdfunding initiative was founded by Professor Jill Belch of the University of Dundee, in response to the urgent need for PPE for community frontline medical teams across Scotland.

100% of the money raised will fund the provision of PPE for key workers across the country.

Masks for Scotland has already raised over £80,000 in just over a week, and the first orders of PPE are set to arrive in Scotland this week.

Professor Jill Belch said: “The Medical Teams who protect us must be protected too. We know that the bigger the viral load, the worse the disease.

"Day in, day out, these teams are exposed to very high viral loads. We must help save their lives, the lives of their families and their patients by providing correct PPE.

"This fundraiser will save lives - thank you so very much to all who donate.”

Creator and host Edith Bowman said: “For the Love Of Scotland will be three hours of people coming together through music, prose, comedy, conversation and thanks, featuring both plenty of well-known faces and members of the public.

Singer and activist Annie Lennox (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rainforest Fund)

"I can’t begin to explain how grateful I am to all the people who are helping us out and giving up their time. Now we just have to do it!”

'For the Love of Scotland' is asking fans to submit stories showcasing Scotland’s incredible community spirit throughout lockdown – whether that be anecdotes from the last few weeks, hero shout outs, or even a dance.

You can submit stories, pictures and videos here.

You can tune into the livestream on the Gigs in Scotland Facebook or YouTube pages

For all of the latest updates on coronavirus in Edinburgh, visit our breaking news live blog here.

Another way to stay updated is by joining our new Edinburgh coronavirus news Facebook group.

For the latest guidance on coronavirus from Health Protection Scotland, click here.

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