Telly star Paul O’Grady has praised big-hearted Sunday Mirror readers for raising an incredible £85,000 for our Christmas appeal.
The host of For the Love of Dogs backed our campaign with Save the Children to buy gifts for the country’s most vulnerable kids and offer Christmas meals to hard-up families.
He said: “The money will go a long way towards making a huge difference to kids who are living in poverty.
“Thanks to Sunday Mirror readers for getting behind it and helping to make a change. Every penny counts.”
Comedian Paul, 65, was one of a string of celebs who joined forces to support our Save a Kid’s Christmas campaign.
Fellow comic Dom Joly and singers Fleur East and Leona Lewis also pledged their support.
On the launch of our campaign, we revealed that families living on the breadline are facing their bleakest-ever festive season, with child poverty set to rise to 5.2million by 2022.
We heard from Kelly and Tony Fisher in Manchester – where more than 40 per cent of children live in poverty. The Fishers, aged 36 and 41 respectively, were going without essentials just to afford Christmas presents for their four children.
Now, thanks to your help, aid from the Save the Children Emergency Support Grant means that they too can have a happier Christmas.
Money raised through the appeal will help Save the Children support countless other families with vouchers for food and other essential items.
Dan Paskins, Director of UK Impact at Save the Children, said: “We can’t thank Sunday Mirror readers enough.
"Their incredible generosity will change the lives of children up and down the country, who might otherwise have gone without food, toys or even a bed to sleep in.
“After an unimaginably tough year, it means so much to see so many people digging deep to give children a brighter future.
"Thanks to Mirror readers’ generous donations, we can help children across the country who have had a really tough time this year and protect the magic of Christmas.”
