Generous Guardian and Observer readers gave more than £52,000 over the phones during our annual charity telethon in aid of refugees and asylum seekers facing homelessness and destitution.
A roster of top journalists including John Crace, Marina Hyde, Polly Toynbee, Owen Jones, Zoe Williams and Simon Hattenstone took donations and chatted to readers during the eight-hour event on Saturday, part of our 2023 appeal in support of three refugee and asylum seeker charities.
The running total, which is raising money for Refugee Councils of Britain, Refugees at Home and Naccom, hadincreased to more than £570,000 by Sunday morning, just over a week since the appeal launched. Nearly 7,000 readers have so far donated.
Donations will go towards providing emergency provision for asylum seekers and refugees facing destitution, to fund longer-term projects helping refugees settle into their new communities, recover their health and develop skills, and to support campaigns for a more humane and fairer asylum system.
This year, the political debate around asylum and immigration has been ever more hostile and divisive. Introducing the appeal, Katharine Viner, the Guardian’s editor-in-chief, said: “More than ever, our 2023 appeal seeks to highlight the values of kindness, respect, tolerance and compassion, all of which underpin the missions of our partner charities, alongside their commitment to social justice and human rights.”
Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “We are touched by the generosity of Guardian and Observer readers – the appeal allows us to continue the vital work we do with people fleeing war and persecution, offering hope in desperate circumstances. The appeal is an important reminder there are so many people who want to support and welcome refugees arriving in the UK.”
Daniel Gerring, the chair of trustees at Refugees at Home, said: “As a host myself, I would like to send our enormous thanks to your readers on behalf of the thousands of other hosts and volunteers across the country who have opened their doors and their hearts to support refugees. Every pound donated helps us ensure that people fleeing war and persecution back home don’t have to start their new lives as refugees in the UK homeless and cold.”
Other journalists who took part in the the telethon organised by Guardian Live included: Amelia Gentleman; Jess Cartner-Morley, Nosheen Iqbal, Peter Bradshaw, Peter Walker, Aletha Adu, Emma Graham-Harrison, Hugh Muir, Sirin Kale, Charlotte Higgins, Hannah Moore, Owen Gibson, Andrew Sparrow, Helena Horton, Denis Campbell, Dan Sabbagh, Andrew Gregory, Juliette Garside, Paul Lewis, Heather Stewart, Catherine Bennett, Tom Dowling, Clare Margetson, Manisha Ganguly, John Collingridge, Nick Hopkins, Richard Partington, Tim Lusher, Rob Booth, Sali Hughes, Gwyn Topham, Maeve Sheerlaw, Nicole Jackson, Will Woodward, Philip Inman, Harron Siddique, Dan Milmo, and Merope Mills.
