Comic Relief stars, past and present, today will mark 25 years of Red Nose Day and celebrate the 50 million lives that have been changed by the money raised.
Thanks to the generosity of the British public since 1988 over £600 million has been raised since 1988. That money has been helping to change lives across Africa, the UK and the world’s poorest countries.
Two comics who are Red Nose Day stalwarts Jonathan Ross and Davina McCall are marking the anniversary from a vaccination clinic in Accra, Ghana. The duo will spend the day doing live broadcasts into TV and radio programs reporting on the progress that has been happening in Africa.
Speaking in the UK, Comic Relief founder Richard Curtis commented: “From day one the money so generously donated by the UK public has been hard at work helping to create a just world free from poverty.”
Ross added: “It’s amazing to see the change the public’s money can have. Whether a pound or more, it really has transformed lives.”
• Helping 3 million Africans affected by HIV
• Providing 1 million vaccines
• Helping 7 million living in urban slums
• Assisting over 1 million children in Africa and the world’s poorest countries to get an education
• Preventing or curing blindness for more than 2.4 million people
“Ultimately we hope it will enable people in Africa to become self-sufficient,” said Ross. “Wouldn’t it be great if Red Nose Day didn’t need to celebrate its 50th birthday? Africa is changing not just through our money but because people in Africa are also making it happen.”
(WATCH the video below – Visit www.rednoseday.com to find out how to get involved)