ITV`s Star Line-‐Up for Bigger and Better Text Santa

 ITV’s Star Line-­‐Up for Bigger and Better Text Santa Ant & Dec, Phillip Schofield & Holly Willoughby and Christine Bleakley & Paddy McGuinness are today announced as the presenter line-­‐up for Text Santa, ITV’s annual charity appeal, broadcasting on Friday 20 December. Each presenting duo hosts an all-­‐star cast and presents their own special segments. Stars of Coronation Street will perform a special version of "Fairytale of Weatherfield" accompanied by Shane MacGowan of The Pogues and there’s a promise of more exclusive live performances by “very special, mystery guests”. Characters of Emmerdale will also appear in an exclusive sketch with a Text Santa twist and there’s a unique edition of Take Me Out with older people looking for their perfect partner for Christmas. Plus, celebrity messages and the cast of Big Reunion perform live and exclusive their cover of Wizzard’s Classic hit: ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’ all leading to a spectacular grand finale. All profits from sales of the Big Reunion single go to Text Santa. Text Santa is using its head for a special day of fund raising on Friday, December 20. "Hats on Display for ‘Hattitude Day'," is the message to anyone who joins in the fun by wearing a hat to work, college or school, and donating £1 to Text Santa. Throughout the Text Santa entertainment extravaganza, there’ll be emotional, true-­‐
life films from the six UK based charities that will share the funds that are raised -­‐ Age UK, Barnardo’s, BeatBullying, British Heart Foundation, CLIC Sargent and Help the Hospices. 1
Text Santa is more prominent than ever this year. Major ITV programmes and stars are at the forefront of the fundraising and helping the public to be aware of the work of the charities. Ant & Dec have helped design this year’s special Text Santa Christmas Hats and Paul O’Grady has emerged from his hit ‘…For the Love of Dogs’ series to design a hat for dogs. These, and children’s Text Santa hats, as well as a range of Text Santa merchandise will be available across the UK at Morrisons, one of the appeal partners. Viewers will be able to make donations throughout the appeal via text; thanks to Text Santa partner Vodafone by using their JustTextGiving service, which ensures 100% of your donation goes directly to Text Santa and lets you add Gift Aid easily. Vodafone will also be operating the landline technology on the night, and taking calls if viewers want to donate by phone. Text Santa’s banking partner, Santander will be getting behind the appeal by taking donations in their 1,200 branches as well as offering this year’s ‘must have’ Christmas accessory, the Text Santa character pin badges, Hollie, Rudy and Tinsel. Donations can also be made at www.itv.com/textsanta Launched today is the Text Santa Fundraising pack which is available online at www.textsanta.co.uk. It includes information on how to get involved, by showing your ‘Hattitude’ while raising money for Text Santa, and helping the charities help someone near you. Exclusive interviews with the Text Santa presenters are included below. For further information: Pamela Anderson, Publicist Text Santa, 0207 157 4851, pamela.anderson@itv.com For a new Text Santa Presenters image please check www.itvpictures.com Picture contact: Louise Burgin, 0207 157 3034, louise.burgin@itv.com or itvpicturedesk@itv.com 2
Text Santa Presenter interviews Ant & Dec They are two of Britain’s most popular and experienced TV presenters who always keep their composure live on air, but even Ant & Dec admit they do find themselves starting to well up when they host Text Santa. Revealing they are regularly close to tears when the two stars present some of the stories featured on ITV’s annual Christmas show to raise millions of pounds for charity, the duo say the fact that they can try and help is one of the main reasons why they love being part of Text Santa. “When you hear some of the stories, they really do make your heart ache,” reveals Dec. “I do well up. Most of us are having a really good time with family and friends at Christmas but not everyone is as lucky and so it is a really nice thing to be able to help people at that time of year.” “The great thing about Text Santa is the charities are changed each year so we can help new ones. They are all home grown charities and they all do fantastic work. I think that is a good a reason as any why, hopefully, people will be able to pick up the phone and donate.” Smiling, Ant & Dec also reveal there is a great buzz on Text Santa because not only are they helping others, but it’s also a chance to catch up with their fellow ITV presenters, Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby, Christine Bleakley and Paddy McGuinness, and have some fun. Over the past two years, both have been first to get the show started and urge viewers to pick up the phone and Text Santa. On the first Text Santa, they did a 3
Bushtucker Trial, which saw them make their way up a slippery slide, touching a giant star down on four markers, and last year, Ant & Dec promised to swap places on the stage from their legendary positions – Ant always on the left, Dec on the right. It was a pledge that went down a storm with viewers. “We didn’t realise that would work so well!” chuckles Ant. So are they prepared to do something even madder this year to up their game? “We are always up for anything!” declares Dec. “This year there is a whisper we may be taking part in an Ant v Dec challenge live on the show. That’s been floating around but we have no idea what we will have to do. It will be a surprise to us.” “I bet it will be scary,” interjects Ant, laughing. Will they be secretly competitive with each other to win the challenge? “Not very secretly,” chuckles Dec as Ant declares: “We are very open about it” Agreeing, Dec adds: “I want to win it but it makes me shudder to think what we will be doing. Look at Saturday Night Takeaway and all those challenges!” “My favourite bit of last year’s Text Santa was Phillip wearing a dress!” says Ant, roaring with laughter as he does. “Yes he was a bit too keen wearing that dress!” agrees Dec. Fresh from hosting this year’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! when they front Text Santa, Ant & Dec admit it is very much a family affair when it comes to their own Christmas plans this year. Both are planning to return home to Newcastle to visit their family, but despite both sets of relatives living nearby, they aren’t planning to hook up together over the festive period. “We see enough of each other the rest of the year,” explains Dec. “I will be going home to see my family. I have got a massive family and we all get together. It’s a chance to chill out, eat turkey, drink wine and watch the telly!” Both are keeping tight-­‐lipped as to what they plan to give each other for Christmas this year but burst out laughing as they talk about the gifts they gave last year. “We bought exactly the same thing!” reveals Ant. “It was an Atari console you put your IPad on to play games. We both saw it in New York and it was surreal we ended up getting the same present!” “I remember seeing it and thinking Ant would like that and I would like one myself,” adds Dec. “And we ended up buying it for each other. We did laugh a lot when we realised.” Very much embracing the Christmas spirit, both enjoy nothing better than settling down to watch a classic film over the festive period. “I watch loads,” says Dec. “I always watch the Morecambe and Wise Christmas special, which I think I have watched so many times. I still tune into it….I often find that with the big film, I always fall asleep -­‐that’s down to the turkey and overeating..!” And given this year’s theme for Text Santa is to encourage the nation to wear a hat, what kind of hat will they both be wearing on Christmas Day? 4
“The hat I have helped design for Text Santa,” replies Ant, smiling. “It has got my name on – Antlers – and so it all makes sense!” “And I will be wearing mine too,” says Dec. “Mine has a little bit of mistletoe on. I thought mine was genius. People go around at Christmas with mistletoe and I thought you can wear your Santa hat and have the mistletoe on too. It saves a lot of labour and shoulder ache by holding up the mistletoe!” Holly Willoughby For Holly Willoughby, Christmas is one of her favourite times of the year and she can’t think of anything better than kicking it off with a bang by having a lot of fun on Text Santa. And like her co-­‐presenter on This Morning, Phillip Schofield, Holly is excited about the fun night ahead on Text Santa. “Text Santa is all about having fun,” she says. “Goodness knows what will happen but we are game. It really does feel like the end of school when we do the show. Everyone gets together and we have so much fun as well as raising money for charity. It is the perfect combination. “I loved helping host last year’s Text Santa. My favourite bit was definitely Phil wearing my dress. After the show, we were running to go and do the online show. He was still wearing the heels and dress and he tripped over. He fell and literally stacked it. We were having to run to get to the other studio in time but we were laughing so much, we only made it by seconds!” She isn’t sure yet what she is going to buy Phillip for Christmas, but Holly reckons he is a fairly easy person to buy for. “Phil is not that difficult because he has got certain things that he really loves,” she says. “There are lots of loves in his life and so I will buy something to do with one of those – but I just haven’t got it yet! “I normally am very organised when it comes to present buying. I like to get it done early as otherwise I sit and panic. I enjoy the build-­‐up to Christmas and the last thing I want to be doing is going ‘OMG I haven’t got such and such’. I like to get it all done and all wrapped so I can let all the festivities begin.” Christmas, she says, is particularly magical now she is a mum herself. “I have always loved Christmas even before the children came along,” adds Holly. “We have always had a tree and we have always made a big fuss. But it is more 5
magical now I have children. And the older they get, the more they understand. I can’t wait.” This year, Holly will be spending Christmas at her parents’ home. “We are all going to my mums and all the family will be down there,” she explains. “It is a real family Christmas. We drink too much, eat too much and play lots of games. We love Charades and a bit of Balderdash. It is my perfect Christmas. I don’t like to go away at Christmas as it is all about the family and home cooking. “Do I have any family traditions? You never realise you have something until your husband goes ‘eh’. We leave all our stockings on our bed and so the kids come into our room and open them. We did that when I was a child. Even when I was too old to be doing this, we’d still do it and we’d get into bed with mum and dad and open our stockings. We also used to have boiled eggs at breakfast. I think it is because it was the one thing dad could cook really well and as mum was busy doing the lunch that was dad’s thing. We have now kind of adopted that too!” She says she has been lucky enough to be on the receiving end of many fantastic presents over the years. Her best present from her husband, Dan, was a picture by her favourite artist, aptly named the same as him. “He bought me a painting once by my favourite artist who is also called Dan Baldwin,” she reveals. “He had it commissioned and it was a picture of me in it. This may sound strange but the kids were in it too and all the different things that I love. It was really cool and so very personal.” Smiling, she thinks her favourite gift, as a child has to be a My Little Pony Castle. “That was quite a triumph and very exciting because it was pink and my ponies could play in it,” she chuckles. And her worst ever Christmas present? “My mum once got me a miniature violin,” she replies. “It was the size of your hand and none of us could ever work it out. I can’t play a full sized violin and so it was a bit odd. But it is difficult to pick out the worst present as people will see this and then think ‘oh no, I got you that’.” Relishing the fact Christmas is a time to let her hair down and overindulge; Holly loves nothing better than watching some big Christmas shows and movies with her family on the sofa. She loves Santa Clause The Movie and A Miracle on 34th Street. “Christmas is the one time you can just eat and drink,” she adds. “It is the best time of the year and I love the social side of it too, seeing everybody. I just love it. “Last year, of course, there was the big Downton Abbey special and it’s nice to be able to chill out for five minutes, watch some TV and have a glass of wine.” She doesn’t, however, reckon she will be making any New Year resolutions. “I like to think about it but I never stick to any of them,” she explains. “I always go ‘right it is the New Year, I will try to be this or that’. I start off with lots of great sentiments but it never happens!” 6
Reflecting on the success of ITV’s Text Santa, she laughs as she declares she will definitely be embracing this year’s hat theme. And what kind of hat does she love wearing? “I quite like a big floppy hat,” she chuckles. “A bit 70s and something you can put on when you have a mad hair day…!” Phillip Schofield He may have put on Holly Willoughby’s dress to help raise millions for Text Santa last year, but Phillip Schofield reveals he will never forget that fateful moment. Laughing, the This Morning host says: “The great thing about Text Santa is it is a chance for us all to let our hair down and encourage viewers to donate. Obviously last year I let my hair down a very long way by swapping clothes with Holly. It is something I will never forget, something my children will never forget and something that we don’t talk about at home!” He pauses, smiles and then happily jokes: “My greatest thrill of that moment was the fact I showed I have really good legs!” Embracing the live ITV show wholeheartedly, Phillip hopes the six charities chosen for this year will strike a chord at home. “We have got six brilliant charities and the terrific thing is they are all hugely deserving,” he says. “There is a charity that will strike at the heart of everyone.” Reflecting on this year’s hat theme, he continues: “I have got a peculiar shaped head when it comes to wearing hats. Holly will probably say the same thing. There are very little hats that suit me and I always look incredibly stupid. If I had to wear one, I would put on a baseball hat as it is a little bit curved!” So what is Phillip planning to do this Christmas once he has finished presenting Text Santa? Helping host a big family gathering at his home, he replies. “Christmas is always pretty much the same in our house,” he explains. “We have got the biggest table so everyone comes to us. Everyone has an individual job. Steph’s mum always brings the vegetables, which are beautifully chopped; Steph’s dad always makes bubble and squeak and I am in charge of all the wine – obviously! It is a military affair and the great thing is people drop in and out. It is a lovely, family do with all different ages – my mum, Steph’s parents and all the kids. It is rough and tumble and a very informal day.” He does not, however, over-­‐indulge too much. The svelte presenter admits: “I don’t eat too much which sounds like I drink too much. We drink to enjoy. But as I am quite careful the whole of the year with food, at Christmas I can’t fit three meals in! So when you wake up, people expect you to have a huge breakfast, then a big lunch 7
and picky things all the way through. I can’t do that. We have a big lunch and the rest of the things on offer for those who want them – and always far more for Steph’s dad as he is far more capable of eating more than us!” And given he did put on Holly’s dress live on television, does Phillip enjoy wearing a special Christmas jumper at home each year? “I don’t do comedy clothing,” he admits, smiling as he does. “Although last year I did get given a T-­‐shirt with a hamster on it! This is because I made a trip to Peru and as I did not want to offend the host, I ate a guinea pig. I happened to mention this on Twitter and you will never believe the hassle I got from this. It is a pet in this country but not over there.” And yet whilst Phillip loves his big family Christmas gatherings to eat, drink and be jolly, he admits he always falls ill. Explains the charming and gregarious 51-­‐year-­‐old: “You tend to run full pelt until Christmas and almost certainly, the minute I stop for a break, I get a cold. It is normally fine until then but when I lock everything down, I start sneezing. It happens every year.” Superbly well-­‐organised, he reveals he had already bought Holly’s Christmas present by the beginning of October. “I can’t tell you what it is except that is large and potentially headache causing.” Given the two friends are known to go on legendary Tequila nights out from time to time, does it involve this drink? “That would be telling way too much,” he chuckles. “Holly is very good at buying presents though. So much so, she buys me things I don’t even know that I want. But then it arrives and it will be the perfect gift. I don’t think I am particularly easy to buy for, but I am enormously grateful that she remembers.” He doesn’t want to say too much about his plans for his own family Christmas presents this year, but he reveals he will be whisking them away for New Year. “Our present is taking the family away,” he explains. “I have got an idea we might be doing something with the family for New Year and so that will probably end up contributing to the Christmas present. “Steph, my wife, is very good at Christmas presents. Now our girls don’t need us as much, we try to go away for weekends and last year, Steph organised a trip to Venice and for us to go on the Orient Express, which I had always wanted to do. I don’t think she has ever got it wrong. She is pretty bang on! Nobody knows me better than she does.” His best ever present as a child, he continues, was a homemade zoo from his parents. “Mum and dad spent months before Christmas making me a zoo,” he reveals. “I wish I had kept it as it was utterly beautiful. So much work went into it.” As for whether he will be making any New Year resolutions and it is a resounding no. “I never make any New Year resolutions as I know I won’t keep them,” he says. “What is the point? Everything I do now I intend to do in 2014.” 8
Christine Bleakley Text Santa heralds the start of a special time for Christine Bleakley, who loves Christmas and spending time with her family. Smiling, the 34-­‐year-­‐old star says she is even going to try and invite them to come and watch her co-­‐present the charity ITV show with Paddy McGuinness because it is so much fun and throws up some mad games on the night. “I loved being part of Text Santa last year as we had such a giggle doing it,” says Christine. “Text Santa has a lovely new feel to it. It is fresh and everyone is really excited. We had the wackiest and most bizarre things on the night last year and the crazy challenges in the studio were a big highlight for me. Everyone was willing to get their hands dirty and we even had Rylan Clark flying above us on a zip wire! “Even in rehearsals, everyone was getting gunged and of course, Paddy is so much fun to co-­‐present with. I am so excited about this year’s Text Santa and I am hoping to try and get my own family down before the show so that they can come to the studio too. There is a real party feel to it. “For me, whilst the show is about having fun it’s also about raising money for great causes. I am particularly delighted that Text Santa are supporting the elderly charities as it is such an important time of the year. At Christmas time, you do sit back but people do need help. “The show has already gone way above expectations and hopefully it will gather pace again this year.” Explaining why working alongside Paddy always leaves her expecting the unexpected, she adds: “He is so up for it and he is always very cheeky! I am always on standby for anything to come out of his mouth! I trust him though!” Laughing, she says she thinks she would either buy him a Peter Kay stand up tour DVD as a joke gift or a weekend away for his wife and two children “so they can have a bit of a breather and let him get on with it!” And once Text Santa has finished, Christine is planning a big family affair at her home in London; she shares with her fiancé, Frank Lampard. “Christmas is a busy period for us as Frank is away at a hotel on Christmas night and again on Boxing Day,” explains the bubbly presenter. “We are still sorting everything out but potentially, we will be having all my family coming to stay, which they did last year too. 9
“We will be having lots of food and drink. “I do contribute to the cooking but mum is the master at it. She really is the best and however hard you try; it never tastes as good as your own mum makes it. “She panics about it in the run-­‐up but she really is great.” Reflecting on her own childhood memories, Christine admits she now adores making a fuss of her own parents and her fiancé’s daughters at Christmas. She reveals: “What makes my day is being able to spoil my parents and get them a nice present. I have always had such lovely Christmas memories and I am always trying to recreate that for Frank’s girls as best as I can. “I can remember when I was about six and getting my first bike. It was my best ever present and this memory has stayed with me forever. It was a baby blue bike that I adored. Nobody was allowed to go near this bike. It was called Diana and it had a beautiful white basket and a bell. It had such an aura around it. It was beautiful!” As for any disasters when it comes to Christmas gifts and Christine thinks she has been lucky over the years. “My mum has always been very practical,” she explains. “She buys a lot for the house and now I really enjoy getting a new saucepan, spatula or whatever it might be!” Smiling, she admits she would like to think that she is easy to buy for but reckons others will probably beg to differ. “People think I am awkward because I never ask for anything,” she chuckles. “But I am happy with anything. I enjoy giving presents.” A self-­‐confessed ‘telly freak’, Christine is hoping to catch all the festive TV specials in the run-­‐up and during Christmas. “We watch everything,” she adds. “The television is on constantly. I love Santa Clause The Movie and I will re-­‐watch that every year. I love all the television specials and I love watching all the things I used to see as a girl. “Christmas is about spending time at home with all the family.” And does she try and watch what she eats? No way, comes her reply. “It’s the one time of the year when you can definitely overindulge,” she says. “We have lots of sweets and biscuits and I don’t see any point losing any sleep over it! We might spend all of January moaning about it but we know what will happen!” As for New Year resolutions, Christine laughs as she admits she always has the best intentions as another 12 months beckon -­‐ but they soon get thrown out the water. “Occasionally I make New Year Resolutions,” she says. “But I do give up on them. It’s normally things like ‘I want to get fitter’ or ‘oh I do go out a bit too much partying at the weekend’ but I am not going to beat myself up about them. “Christmas is all about having fun. It is a special time.” 10
Paddy McGuinness As Paddy McGuinness prepares to co-­‐host Text Santa, he has revealed he feels in awe of his fellow presenters and can’t quite believe how lucky he is to be part of such an amazing programme. Smiling, the popular star admits it is a huge honour to be sharing the same stage with Ant & Dec, Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby and Christine Bleakley, who will be by his side when the pair hook up together to present some of the show. “For me personally, I don’t look at myself on the same level as all those presenters,” he says. “I look up to them. They are all at the top of their game and when I look and realise I am part of Text Santa as well, even I go ‘Oh gosh this is quite good company’! I don’t live in London. I do my job and then I go back home again. Something like this show is just such a great laugh to do. Hopefully we will try and put on an entertaining programme and get the balance right with the charity footage. It is a tricky one as the films are hard hitting but Text Santa is for good causes – and so it is win win. “I loved hosting the show last year with Christine and particularly enjoyed all the big games we had on. “But every penny does count. Christmas is what you make it. I’m fortunate enough to be in a position to have my family around to enjoy the festivities but you do forget that some people don’t even have that. Text Santa is a fun show with a serious message behind it.” For Paddy, Text Santa heralds the start of his favourite time of the year. “I love Christmas,” he explains. “It is 100 per cent my favourite time. “I love having all my friends and family around, the presents, the food, drink – everything! I am a big kid at heart and I do most of the cooking. I like buying people presents. It does not have to be anything extravagant. It is nice to open gifts and I actually started getting quite excited about Christmas in early October. I was out shopping and I saw all the Christmas stuff in the shops and started thinking about it all. I am not one who starts in August but when the clocks go back and you see your first Christmas advert, it does get really exciting.” Laughing, he admits he is not, however, the easiest person to buy for. “Everyone says I am a nightmare because I have got everything,” he reveals. “They say I have everything I need. But nobody is expecting to open up a Plasma TV on Christmas Day. It’s the fun of unwrapping the present that I like and saying that old thing of ‘ah just what I always wanted!’” 11
Although he is keeping under wraps what he plans to buy his wife and family for Christmas this year, Paddy already knows what he wants to get his Text Santa co-­‐
presenter, Christine who is engaged to Chelsea player, Frank Lampard. “I am going to get her a Bolton Wanderers football kit,” he declares, laughing as he does. Reflecting on his childhood days, the 40-­‐year-­‐old, who became a dad for the first time this year to twins, says he loved playing out in the snow. “My favourite present was a BMX bike that my parents bought me,” he recalls. “It tended to be quite snowy at Christmas time and so as a kid, it was all about playing outside rather than eating the turkey!” And his worst ever present? He says he doesn’t have a stand out gift that he detested but admits he hates it when people don’t buy him the right sized clothes. “My thing is when people get the wrong size as you never get around to changing them,” he adds. Very much looking forward to spending his first Christmas with his twins, Paddy admits he is keen to decorate the outside of his house to add some extra sparkle. “In the past, I have never been bothered about nailing anything to my house as I can never figure out the workings,” he admits. “But this year I am thinking of asking a company to do it for me and get a little tree for the garden and some lights on the house. “Will I get competitive? No I am not on that level and I won’t obsess over it but it would be nice to have a few things out there. “There is so much fun and laughter at Christmas and on the day itself, we do tend to have the TV on as background noise that you can dip in and out of. I love watching all the specials like the Royle Family.” He pauses, smiles, and then adds: “What I really love, though, is when everyone goes and then it is just you, your kids, your wife and you can relax and put on your PJS!” As for whether Paddy will be making any New Year Resolutions and it is a resounding no. “I don’t actually ever make any,” he admits. “It’s never entered my head to do anything like that. For me, I love Christmas but New Year’s Eve you can keep. I used to like it when I was younger but now I much prefer having a at home, watching the fireworks in London on the TV and that’s that!” Turning his attentions back to Text Santa, Paddy really hopes viewers will be able to dig deep this year. “I’m not one for being self-­‐righteous,” he says. “I just hope we get the message across that Christmas is a time for sharing. It’s not all about how much money you donate; it’s also about doing good deeds. We just want to spread the warmth and joy out there.” 12
Notes to Editors Overview of 2013 charities: Age UK Age UK has been selected again, having been one of the 2012 beneficiaries of Text Santa. Age UK helps millions of people every year. No one should have to spend later life cold, lonely or in poverty – so Age UK provides vital information, advice and practical services to end needless suffering for older people. Barnardo’s Barnardo’s works with more than 200,000 children, young people and their families each year, through over 900 community projects across the UK. We work to transform the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children and every year we help thousands of families to build a better future. In the current economic climate, there is an increasing demand for our services and the funds raised by Text Santa will support the most vulnerable children in the UK this Christmas, turning their lives around and helping them face the future with hope and confidence. BeatBullying BeatBullying is a bullying prevention charity, campaigning to make bullying unacceptable and providing support for children and young people affected by bullying. They empower young people to mentor each other, in their communities and online and give them the support of specialist adult advisers and counsellors. They also provide support for parents and professionals working with young people, helping them to develop strategies to prevent bullying. British Heart Foundation Coronary heart disease is the UK’s single biggest killer. For over 50 years the British Heart Foundation has pioneered research that’s transformed the lives of people living with heart and circulatory conditions. But so many people still need help. Over 2 million people in the UK struggle with the devastating effects of heart disease. It can be painful, frightening and lonely. The British Heart Foundation fund nurses who offer invaluable medical and emotional support to heart patients and their families, enabling many to manage their condition at home, improve their confidence and maintain their independence. 13
CLIC Sargent Every day, 10 children and young people in the UK hear the shocking news they have cancer. Treatment normally starts immediately, is often given many miles from home and can last for up to three years. CLIC Sargent is the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, and their families. They provide clinical, practical, financial and emotional support to help them cope with cancer and get the most out of life. They are there from diagnosis onwards and aim to help the whole family deal with the impact of cancer and its treatment, life after treatment and, in some cases, bereavement. Help the Hospices Help the Hospices champions and supports the work of over 200 hospices across the UK. Hospices provide vital care for people with terminal and life-­‐limiting illnesses and their families, helping them to live well for the time they have left together. Demand for hospice care is rapidly increasing due to more people living for longer with more complex health conditions. Help the Hospices supports hospices to meet these challenges so they can continue to provide the highest quality care possible. Text Santa Background Text Santa is an important part of ITV's Corporate Responsibility programme, using its reach to millions of people to help inspire, engage and empower viewers to make a difference. The organisation does not make any profit from the appeal and is proud that, with investment from ITV and support from Text Santa's partners and supporters, 100% of donations made by viewers go directly to the charities Text Santa supports. ITV's corporate responsibility campaigns use the combined influence of our programmes, online platforms and celebrity talent, to highlight causes and make a difference. Collectively our campaigns in 2012 resulted in over £10.5 million being raised for various charities such as Unicef (Soccer Aid), Malaria No More (I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!) and many others locally, all thanks to the engagement and generosity of ITV viewers. The highlight for ITV is Text Santa, raising over £5.5 million for six UK charities last year, including Age UK, Anthony Nolan, Carers UK, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Together for Short Lives and Whizz-­‐Kidz. 14
The chosen charities, whose work was highlighted on the ITV primetime show, reported impacts such as a 1000% increase in shop revenue and increased demand for online services in January 2013, compared to the same period last year. Text Santa raised enough money for over 180,000 older people to receive support from Age UK. The Charity offers services that help tackle loneliness and isolation. Services range from befriending calls and visits, to information and advice and practical services such as transportation, social activities and lunch clubs. In the case of Anthony Nolan, the money raised by Text Santa paid for over 9,000 people to join the stem cell register. 9,000 potential lifesavers, who will stay on the register for years to come and may, at any time, be the lifesaving donor for a patient with blood cancer. This year Carers UK used the funds raised from Text Santa to help 120,000 carers over the next 3 years to extend their Adviceline opening hours offering information and advice from expert advisors and emotional support for carers. The donations raised for Together For Short Lives were distributed across 49 independent Children's Hospices in the UK ensuring families were able to make the most of their precious time together. Each hospice received enough to pay for a care assistant for a whole year. In the case of Marie Curie Cancer Care, they were able to provide significantly more nursing care to terminally ill people in their own homes and emotional support for their families. The funds raised by Text Santa made it possible for Marie Curie Nurses to provide over 43,500 hours of hands-­‐on care to patients With support from Text Santa, Whizz-­‐Kidz transformed the lives of over 200 young disabled people by providing the most appropriate mobility equipment for their young lives, ensuring full and active childhoods and opportunities for a bright future For more information and individual case studies from 2012 visit www.itv.com/textsanta/impact JustTextGiving by Vodafone is the UK’s first free text donation service. There is no charge for the text to donate, 100% of the donation goes to Text Santa and Gift Aid can easily be added. The donation comes out of the donor’s calling credit or is added to the monthly bill. JustTextGiving by Vodafone is supported by the Vodafone Foundation, registered charity 1089625 -­‐ ENDS -­‐ 15