Sunak and Starmer praise i readers who have raised £220,000 for charity appeal
Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have led a chorus of praise for i readers who have raised more than £200,000 to help children who are in or have recently left care.
Donations from generous readers have so far reached a total of £222,729 for the charity Become as part of i’s Christmas Appeal.
During the Together We Care appeal, our coverage focused on personal stories from young people who shared the difficulties they faced being in care.
There are a record 107,317 children in care in the UK. Nearly four in 10 children in care are separated from their siblings when they are taken into care. Figures from the National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum show that 82 per cent of young care leavers struggled to afford food last year.
Leading figures from across the political spectrum have lined up to celebrate the generosity of readers following the response to the Christmas Appeal which exceeded its fundraising target twice over.
The Prime Minister said: “Children in care have one of the most challenging starts in life, so we must ensure they get extra support and the opportunity to thrive as they leave care.
“As I said in Cabinet recently, I want Britain to be the best country in the world to be a care leaver. This will require effective teamwork between the Government, businesses and charities, so congratulations to brilliant i readers for donating a phenomenal amount of money to Become to support care leavers.”
Sir Keir, leader of the Labour Party, added: “Congratulations to the i on the huge success of your Christmas Appeal. Children in care across Britain face growing challenges, and Christmas is a time when these can hit home the most. In the face of ongoing cost of living pressures, it’s inspiring to see i readers raise so much for this important cause.”
Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “I’d like to congratulate readers of the i for raising vital funds to support care experienced young people.
“The Scottish Government is committed to Keeping the Promise by 2030 to all of our children and young people. We work in tandem with charities and our local delivery partners to ensure young people are given the support they need to positively transition from care into adulthood and more independent living.”
And Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey added: “I would like to thank all those i readers who have donated so generously to this cause.
“Losing your parents or being moved into care at a young age is an incredibly difficult experience to go through. The donations given will have been an enormous boost to so many children over the Christmas period, and will help them well into the new year.”
Become works to support children in care and young care leavers and helps them connect with others who have been in similar situations.
The charity also runs the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Care-Experienced Children and Young People. Its vice-chair, Tim Loughton, said: “It is heart-warming to see the public respond so generously to the appeal to help care experienced children.
“They remain an often-overlooked cohort who find themselves at the disadvantage of not being able to grow up in their own family home through no fault of their own. That disadvantage often stays with them through school under-achievement, vulnerability to homelessness and mental health conditions and into adulthood and career prospects. Despite attempts by many of us in government to address that attainment gap with their peers lucky enough to grow up with their own loving parents, it remains worryingly wide and that is not fair.”
Liberal Democrat MP and education spokesperson Munira Wilson is also an officer for the APPG for Care-Experienced Children and Young People.
She said: “I have been fortunate to meet with several amazing young people who have worked with Become and benefited from their help and support. The money raised through the charity appeal is fantastic and will enable Become to carry on their vital work and help even more children and young people.”
How to donate
i has launched its 2023 Christmas Appeal “Together We Care” urging generous readers to raise money to help Become give vital advice and practical support to 1,300 children in care and young care leavers.
We initially set a fundraising target of £75,000 but thanks to the generosity of i readers, we now hope to raise £150,000 for the charity.
Click here to read more about what Become does:
Here’s what your donation can provide:
- £2.50 sends a handwritten Christmas card to a child in care.
- £5 helps a child in care stay in touch with brothers or sisters living apart from them.
- £12 gives Christmas dinner to a young person who recently left care.
- £25 gives a Christmas present to a child in care or young care leaver.
- £45 pays for a young person to travel to Parliament to share their story with interested MPs.
- £50 pays for employment coaching to help someone leaving care find a job.
- £75 provides one-to-one guidance for a young person applying to university.
Click here to donate: www.becomecharity.org.uk/i-appeal
