Look To The Stars News: Charley Boorman

Ewan McGregor Urges Fans To Help Pakistan

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Long time UNICEF UK Ambassador and actor Ewan McGregor has launched a compelling video appealing to the UK public to help in whatever way they can to help Pakistan’s children whose lives have been devastated by the floods. The video will be shown online and as a TV appeal.

McGregor is one of many UNICEF Ambassadors doing what they can to raise crucial funds for the emergency. Ambassadors and High profile supporters including Jemima Khan, Robbie Williams, David Beckham, Sir Roger Moore, HRH Queen Rania Of Jordan, Michael Sheen, Charley Boorman, Cat Deeley and many others are tweeting, using facebook, writing news and doing what they can to support Pakistan’s children. To date, the tweets and re-tweets have reached more than 6 million people and helped raise well over £3m for UNICEF from the UK’s public.

McGregor, who has travelled all over the world and seen the work of the world’s leading children’s organization hopes to boost funds for Pakistan this week with his filmed message that can be viewed across social networking sites, online and on TV.

Charley Boorman Supports Dyslexia Action Poetry Competition

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Actor-turned-motorcycle enthusiast Charley Boorman has launched Dyslexia Action’s new poetry competition.

Boorman, who traveled on motorcycle with Ewan McGregor around the world and through Africa, is president of Dyslexia Action and suffers from dyslexia himself.

The theme of the competition this year – open to any UK child from the age of 7-15 – is “What Makes Me Me?” According to the charity: "The aim of the competition is to help raise awareness of the importance of being able to read and write and is being championed by poet and musician Benjamin Zephaniah who is dyslexic himself and knows how important poetry has been in helping him express his thoughts and feelings.

Ewan McGregor's Bike Raises Cash For UNICEF

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:30:00 +0000

Earlier this month, actor Ewan McGregor auctioned off his favorite motorcycle to raise money for UNICEF.

Look To The Stars can now reveal that the bike was sold for US$44,000 – with the money to go to the organization’s work helping children around the world cope with war, famine, poverty, and natural disasters.

“Unicef would like to thank Ewan McGregor for auctioning his much-loved motorbike, which has raised the sizeable sum of £22,100 for our work with children globally,” said UNICEF’s Fiona Hesselden. “This money will support Unicef’s Children’s Emergency Fund, helping children such as those in Zimbabwe or the Democratic Republic of Congo who so urgently need our help at this time.”

Ewan McGregor Auctions Motorcycle For UNICEF

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Scottish actor Ewan McGregor is set to auction one of his favorite motorcycles for UNICEF.

McGregor – a UNICEF Ambassador since 2004 – has donated his white Moto Guzzi California Vintage cycle to the charity to raise money for projects helping children around the world. The money raised from this auction will go to their Children’s Emergency Fund, which enables the organization to launch a response for children the moment a disaster strikes. Whether it is a flood, conflict or earthquake, UNICEF provides life-saving supplies such as health kits, food and shelter to children and families in need.

“It’s the first of its kind in this color and one of my favorite bikes,” said the 37-year-old actor. “I collected this bike from the Moto Guzzi factory in Italy and rode it back to London. I’ve loved riding it ever since and I know that you will too. As a UNICEF Ambassador, I’ve been greatly privileged to visit a number of incredibly inspiring UNICEF projects and see the impact of its work on children and their families. You have the ability to help ensure that UNICEF continues its vital work protecting children when disasters occur. On behalf of UNICEF, thank you for your support.”

It's A Long Way Down For Charity

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:09:46 +0000

What was quite possibly the party of the year was held in London on November 8, in celebration of the adventure of a lifetime.

The Long Way Down charity dinner and auction was held to mark the successful completion of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s 15,000 mile motorcycle ride from the most northern point in Scotland to the most southern point of South Africa, an adventure that is now the subject of a television series being shown on BBC2 on Sunday nights, and an action-packed book. A host of celebrities, including Elle Macpherson, James Nesbitt, and Scottish singer Sharleen Spiteri dusted off their best clothes for the event, which included performances by The Magic Numbers and Beth Orton.

The evening raised over $621,000 for the Long Way Down team’s charity partners, including Riders For Health, an organization that has worked for over 15 years to develop delivery systems for healthcare in Africa, as well as CHAS, a Scottish charity committed to providing children’s hospice services, and UNICEF.

McGregor Visits Ethiopian Charity Project

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 20:04:00 +0000

Scots actor Ewan McGregor and his actor pal Charley Boorman have taken time out of their epic motorcycle journey to visit a United Nation Children’s Fund charity project in Ethiopia.

The pair are travelling the length of the planet on motorbikes, starting at John O’Groats in Scotland and ending at Cape Town, South Africa.

Last Friday, McGregor and Boorman parked their bikes to meet the residents of Zalambasa, where many people have lost limbs through dangerous landmine explosions.

McGregor Begins Charity Motorcycle Adventure

Thu, 31 May 2007 09:51:00 +0000

Actor Ewan McGregor and friend Charley Boorman have begun a second epic motorcycle journey, this time in support of charity.

In 2004 the pair travelled from Scotland to New York via Europe and Asia in a journey dubbed ‘Long Way Round’, and this new journey will take them from London to Cape Town in South Africa – the ‘Long Way Down’.

Of the 20 countries along the route, many are affected by poverty or civil war, and the travelers aim to raise money for UNICEF, the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland and Riders For Health, a charity supporting motorcycle-riding health workers in Africa.