Look To The Stars News: Ronan Keating

Children In Need Concert Makes History

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:30:00 -0000

British broadcasters Terry Wogan, Tess Daly, and Fearne Cotton hosted the annual BBC Children in Need charity concert on Friday, November 14.

The epic seven hour show featured performances from the Sugababes, Boyzone, Leon Jackson, McFly, the Stereophonics, John Barrowman, Il Divo, Jason Donovan Russell Watson, Alesha Dixon, Razorlight, Sharleen Spiteri and many others. Girls Aloud also made a special appearance, and there were surprise contributions from Ozzy Osbourne, Jack Black, Will Young, Richard Hammond, and Stevie Wonder. Take That donated £250,000 from their ticket sales and a recent Marks and Spencer modeling deal.

But perhaps the funniest highlights of the night came from a performance of Abba hits from six BBC newsreaders. The cast of Eastenders also took to the stage for a song and dance.

A total of £20,991,216 had been raised at the end of the broadcast making it likely that donations could be higher than last year’s total of £37 million.

“I am completely overwhelmed by the way the country has come together in support of BBC Children in Need, demonstrating such generosity in these tough times, and I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone involved,“ said David Ramsden, BBC Children in Need chief executive. “We can now focus our attention on finding more great projects that can change young lives for the better.”

British Stars To Climb Kilimanjaro For Comic Relief

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Ronan Keating, Gary Barlow and Cheryl Cole are to join a host of other British celebrities to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief next year.

According to reports in Britain’s The Sun newspaper, the stars will join Girls Aloud’s Kimberley Walsh, singer Alesha Dixon, television presenters Fearne Cotton and Ben Shephard, West-End star Denise Van Outen and radio DJ Chris Moyles for the climb up Africa’s highest peak.

“I went to Africa for Comic Relief 18 months ago and the images from that trip have stayed with me and made me want to do something big to make a difference and raise money,” said Take That’s Gary Barlow. “The other people on the climb feel similarly, so it made sense to ask them to join me. I have chosen the people I want to be stuck on the side of a mountain with, even if we are the least likely you would expect to find there.”

4,000 people attempt to climb Kilimanjaro every year, although only 1,400 actually reach the top of the 5,895 meter peak. Around 100 climbers die of altitude sickness on the mountain every year, so it will be no walk in the park for the stars.

“Since visiting Africa with Comic Relief a year ago, I haven’t been able to forget how easy it is for someone in my position to help change the lives of poor and vulnerable people by raising money,” said Kimberly Walsh. “When Gary approached me and Cheryl about doing the climb, I didn’t think twice.”

Sharleen Spiteri Gigs With Autistic Children

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Scottish singer Sharleen Spiteri lent her support to Nordoff-Robbins last week when she visited a school that integrates children with autism into classes and provides music therapy as part of their lessons.

The 41-year-old lead singer of Texas played a few tunes for children at Hopefield Primary in Bonnyrigg, Scotland, to raise awareness of music therapy in schools.

“It was great to do a song with the kids playing along on their drums, shakers and bells,“ Spiteri told the Sunday Mail in the UK. “It ended up being a lot easier than some big gigs I’ve done where thousands of fans clap along out of time. That’s an absolute nightmare. Playing to a bunch of kids who were totally into the music was both satisfying and very humbling. But that’s the power of music. I was a total stranger but music brought us together.

“It was interesting to discover how so much of the touchy-feely element of music – the vibrations of hitting a drum or holding an instrument against the skin – meant to the children. That’s what we do as musicians… we go on constantly about feel and rhythm. It was extraordinary to see it actually work for them and hear from their parents how much of a difference music makes to their lives.”

The singer also took part in the BBC Children in Need charity concert on Friday, November 14, which also featured the Sugababes, Boyzone, and many others.

Jodie Kidd To Hold Charity Golf Tournament

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

British model Jodie Kidd is hosting her second annual charity golf tournament on July 21.

The event, which is to take place at the legendary Goodwood estate in West Sussex, will raise money for the Jodie Kidd Foundation – an umbrella organization the model established in 2007 to satisfy her overwhelming desire to help the charities she supports.

Last year’s event raised over $200,000 for three charities: the Monsoon Accessorize Trust, which assists disadvantaged children in South Asia; the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and Greatwood, specialists in the rehabilitation of injured and neglected horses. All three charities will also benefit from this year’s tournament.

Last year’s tournament attracted a large number of celebrities, including Ronan Keating, Pat Cash, Jimmy Tarbuck, and James Nesbitt. The 2008 lineup will be announced soon.

For more information on how to participate, visit www.thejodiekiddfoundation.co.uk, or email Emma Gragson at info@thejodiekiddfoundation.co.uk.

Stars Pound The Pavement In London Marathon

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:51:45 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

35,000 people set off through the English rain yesterday in the third biggest London Marathon ever held. And a handful of celebrities slipped on their running shoes, polished off their pedometers, and sweated their way along the 26 mile course for charity.

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay managed to compete in his ninth marathon with very little of his trademark bad language, and completed the race in just under three hours.

“It doesn’t get any easier,” said the Michelin-star winner, who was raising money for Spina Bifida research. “There were thousands who came out – they were fantastic.”

Actress Amanda Holden – whose show, Britain’s Got Talent, has just returned to TV – also braved the blisters for a good cause. The 37-year-old ran the event to raise money for the Born Free Foundation, of which she is patron. She trained for six months for the marathon, during which she set up a website for people to follow her training and sponsor her effort. She raised over $12,000 from sponsors, including pledges from Simon Cowell ($2,000) and Piers Morgan ($2,002).

Other celebrities puffing their way through the streets of London included Ronan Keating and former Big Brother winner Kate Lawler, who raised thousands for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Jamie Oliver's Charity Dinner Raises £225,000

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 18:17:11 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver hosted his Fifteen Foundation’s annual fund-raising dinner in London on December 5th, raising £225,000 ($457,000) to help train unemployed youths for careers in the restaurant business.

Disadvantaged would-be chefs are taught the trade in the Foundation’s “Fifteen” restaurants located in London, Amsterdam, Melbourne and western England.

“We’re trying to build a training kitchen above Fifteen to help the local community, and we’d like to increase the number of apprentices each year to 45 from about 20 to 25,” Oliver told Bloomberg before the event.

“We need a lot of dosh but it’s not only about the money. This is a chance for us to tell high- profile people what we’re trying to do. We’re helping kids from tough backgrounds and events like this help us to get to the next level.’‘

Entertainment for the event was provided by ex-Boyzone singer Ronan Keating.

“Jamie’s a good friend of mine and I’m delighted to be here,’’ Keating, said. “With him, it’s not about fame, it’s not about celebrity, it’s about helping people.”

Fifteen Foundation apprentices prepared a sumptuous meal for the event. One trainee, 21-year-old Portia Eyeson, said “Fifteen has been very good for me. I heard about it through the Centrepoint hostel for the homeless.”

Children in Need

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:27:27 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

The stars have lined up for the 2007 Children in Need Appeal, the BBC’s annual TV charity event. Airing tonight on BBC One, the evening of special programming will be hosted by Terry Wogan, and will feature special live performances by the Spice Girls in LA, Kylie Minogue, Westlife, Annie Lennox, David Gray and Sugababes.

The Spice Girls are also helping out by donating funds from their new single “Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)”. [Amazon: CD, MP3]

Irish boy band Boyzone have reformed for the event; the band split seven years ago when lead singer Ronan Keating went solo.

Last year’s appeal brought in £33 million ($66 million) for the charity, which strives to improve the lives of disadvantaged children.

As we are reporting in other news today, Children in Need is also one of the beneficiaries of a new fundraising book of celebrity handprints.

Formula 1 Charity Auction Tops $10 Million

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:47:06 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

The British Grand Prix weekend began earlier this month with performances at London’s Royal Albert Hall by Lemar and Beverley Knight, Mica Paris, Run DMC and Ronan Keating, followed by an auction to raise money for CLIC Sargent, the UK’s leading children’s cancer charity. Over $10 million was raised, with Formula One memorabilia and a Pablo Picasso print among the top earners at the auction.

Alex Waters, 20-year-old British Formula 3 racing driver, raised over $350,000 when he auctioned 22 signed caricatures of leading F1 racers, drawn by their team mates. F1 Racing Magazine editor Matt Bishop says, “These drawings are a totally unique, highly collectible lot, and to our knowledge, this is the first time that a full complement of World Championship F1 drivers have penned sketches of each other and made the originals available as a complete set for charity.”

Mr Waters has pledged to donate half of all sponsorship money he raises to the children’s cancer charity that supported him and his family while he was being treated for cancer. Every day 10 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer or leukaemia in the UK.

Former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan thanked bidders for their generosity. “We promised that a centre would be opened in London to support those families touched by cancer and we are absolutely thrilled that our dream can now become a reality.”

Botham Knighted For Fundraising Efforts

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 07:21:46 -0000

Written by Gavin Fearnley

British cricket legend Ian Botham has been knighted in recognition of his outstanding fundraising efforts.

The all-rounder is estimated to have raised around £10m (around $20m) for Leukaemia Research through a series of long-distance charity walks.

The 51-year-old became the first player to score 5,000 runs in the sport that made him famous.

Speaking after the Queen’s Birthday Honours were announced he said he was “delighted”.

He cites as his inspiration a chance visitation to a children’s ward whilst recovering from a toe injury, admitting he was shocked to learn some of the youngsters had just weeks to live.

Botham has since completed eleven walks, starting in 1985 with a gruelling 1500 kilometre hike spanning the length of Britain from John o’ Groats to Land’s End.

That fundraising has continued since and earlier this month he headed an all-star golfing day at Scotland’s Gleneagles Hotel. The event, in Perthshire, was co-hosted by former Boyzone front man Ronan Keating.

Ozzy Headlines Prince Charles Charity Gig

Sun, 21 May 2006 10:44:28 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

An all-star music concert was held in London yesterday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Prince’s Trust charity.

Leading the line-up was veteran rocker Ozzy Osbourne, and other music acts included the Bee Gees, Lionel Richie, Annie Lennox, Ronan Keating, Pink and Embrace. Illusionist David Blaine also appeared.

Thanks to the Prince’s position, the 2000-strong audience was able to enjoy the concert in a unique setting: the grounds of the Tower of London.

The Prince’s Trust helps disadvantaged children reach their potential.

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