VALE MP, Alun Cairns has pushed NSPCC’s fundraising for the year, raised through the Wales Appeal Board, over the £2 million mark through his efforts at the London Marathon in April. The Wales Appeal Board has set a target to raise £3 million over three years. Mr Cairns was delighted to present the charity with a cheque for £5163, to help them reach this fundraising milestone. He raised a total of over £10,000, with funds also donated to Atal Y Fro – a charity based in the Vale that is dedicated to tackling domestic violence.
The donation from Mr Cairns will go towards helping children locally and across Wales, through the NSPCC’s ranging support services. The charity offers therapeutic services to children who have suffered abuse or neglect and also host ChildLine, the telephone support service.
NSPCC have expressed their gratitude to Mr Cairns for choosing to raise money for them this year. The charity emphasised that the money will go a long way for them. For example, the cost to NSPCC of a phone call to ChildLine is put at around £4, which demonstrates the scale of the contribution from Mr Cairns as it would fund over one thousand calls. Please note that all calls to ChildLine are free to the caller.
Alan Peterson, the Wales Appeal Board Chairman, said, “We are extremely grateful to Alun for his hard work and generosity which will help the NSPCC in its fight for every childhood. Each step he took on the London marathon course will help the charity continue to deliver its invaluable services to those who need them.”
Mr Cairns said, “When raising money by running the Marathon, I’m really keen to identify important causes such as NSPCC that carry out vital work in our community. I’m pleased to know that this will make a real difference to vulnerable children and support the organisation’s work.”
He added, “One thing I will certainly note is the excellent support I received on the day of the marathon from those at NSPCC. At the checkpoints, they were there in their green jerseys cheering me on. When you’re taking on that run there are inevitably low points and I can’t explain the difference that support made in helping me across the line.”
The Head of NSPCC Cymru, Des Mannion, said, “We rely on the incredible efforts of our supporters and fundraisers to help children in Wales and this is another fantastic effort. Amongst the work that will benefit from this welcome support is our schools service, which aims to visit every primary in Wales to help young children speak out and stay safe from abuse.”