Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Comic Relief: Lily Cooper, Emma Freud, Olly Murs, Davina McCall try to raise twitter million by Red Nose Day

Comic Relief: Lily Cooper, Emma Freud, Olly Murs, Davina McCall try to raise twitter million by Red Nose Day

  • Organised by Emma Freud, director of Comic Relief
  • Freud's partner Richard Curtis founded the charity 25 year ago
  • Aiming to raise £1m by each asking 1,000 followers to fundraise £50
  • Project using hashtag #twittermillion
  • Need to raise money by Red Nose Day on Friday

By Daily Mail Reporter

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A gaggle of famous tweeters has teamed up to raise £1million for Comic Relief... simply by asking their Twitter followers for the money.

Some 29 celebrities - including mother-of-two Lily Cooper (formerly Lily Allen), radio presenter Fearne Cotton, singer Olly Murs, actor and comedian Simon Pegg and TV presenters Davina McCall, Kirstie Allsopp, Claudia Winkleman - are hoping to raise the first ever 'Twitter million' for the charity by Red Nose Day on Friday.

Led by Emma Freud, director of Comic Relief and partner of Richard Curtis who founded the charity in 1985, #twittermillion has enlisted the help of famous faces who collectively have over 14 million followers.

This year will be the 25th anniversary for Comic Relief, which is what prompted Emma Freud, front holding 'Thank you!' sign to launch #twittermillion

This year will be the 25th anniversary for Comic Relief, which is what prompted Emma Freud, front holding 'Thank you!' sign to launch #twittermillion

Each high-profile tweeter has asked 1,000 of their own followers to join their team and raise £50 each, in friendly competition against the other teams.

DIY darling Kirstie Allsopp has agreed to treat her team of merry tweeters by making home-made gifts for 20 of them as a thank-you.

Members of other tweeting teams could be in for tasty rewards - Celebrity Masterchef winner Emma Kennedy is cooking dinner for one of her fundraising followers, and Claudia Winkleman is giving out doughnuts to her doting donators.

Emma Kennedy said of #twittermillion: 'We chat to each other every day. We read each other's tweets. We're constantly connected. Wouldn't it be amazing if we all decided to do one small thing and in so doing, did something incredible?'

WHO IS INVOLVED... AND WHO IS WINNING SO FAR?

1. Olly murs  2. Simon Pegg  3. Sarah Millican  4. Lauren Laverne  5. Emma Kennedy

6. Emma Freud 7. Lily Cooper  8. Dawn O'Porter  9. Melanie C  10. Claudia Winkleman 

11. Rufus Hound   12. Alison Moyet   13. Clare Balding  14. Sue Perkins  15. Kirstie Allsopp

16. Davina McCall  17. Danny Baker   18. Richard Bacon  19.Tracey Thorn   20. Mitch Benn

21. Myleene Klass  22. Gabby Logan   23. Carol Vorderman   24. Christian O'Connell

25. Richard Herring  26. Krishnan Guru-Murthy  27. Fearne Cotton   28. Edith Bowman

29.Peter Serafinowicz

Fearne Cotton, left, and Lily Cooper, right, are two of the 29 celebrities attempting to raise £1m for comic relief on Twitter


'We've begged and bribed followers to join #twittermillion teams!'

Organiser Emma Freud said:

Emma Freud with partner Richard Curtis after she was awarded an OBE for services to charity in 2011

Emma Freud with partner Richard Curtis after she was awarded an OBE for services to charity in 2011

'We became convinced that all that gorgeous chatter on Twitter could be made to add up to hard cash. Convinced!

'So 28 of the greatest Tweeters on the internet, with a collective following of 12 million, have begged and bribed their followers to join their #twittermillion teams.

'To join their team, they just need to think of something to raise money for comic relief, to the tune of £50... or more!

'The competitive nature of the team captains is such that they are competing hard to outdo each other - and offering bribes to their followers to join their team.

'Rufus Hound is giving one of his team members his Triumph Limited Edition Steve McQueen Motorbike.

'Simon Pegg is inviting one of his team to the premiere of Star Trek and the party afterwards to meet Benedict Cumberbatch.

'Claudia Winkleman is offering a set visit to Strictly, and the dress and shoes she's wearing on BBC1 on Friday for Red Nose Day night.

'Carol Vorderman is giving her wardrobe. Not a wooden one, a clothing one.

'And Team members are rallying with incredible personal challenges to raise the £50 for their team captains. My son is spending three days eating only cereal (#toughcall!), Emma Kennedy spent 25 hours camping on stage throughout Mark Watson's 25-Hour Stand Up Show, including weeing into a bucket in full view of the audience.

'Dawn O'Porter has a follower being sponsored not to get lost on the M25 (not quite sure how that works, but she's raised £65 so far).

Some of the tweets for #twittermillion

Some of the tweets for #twittermillion

'Lauren Laverne is being sponsored to cook for her husband - she last did it in 2004 and he has begged her to reconsider, but she's doing it for Comic Relief so he will just have to suffer.

'One of my team is having a drinking competition during our TV show on Friday - where she drinks a shot every time a track by Coldplay comes on... she's going to be legless, and we'll make a fortune.

'We have sponsored silences, sponsored pregnancies, cake sales, jewellery sales, massage sales, oddjob sales - and today a man joined a #twittermillion team saying that since he is severely disabled and the only thing he could do would be togive up swearing... so he's doing that!

'The competition between the team captains, the extravagance of the bribes for team members, and the brilliance of the feats being undertaken to raise money have all taken my breath away.

'I have no more breath now, it's all gone, and we have raised thousands! No figures yet as we don't want to demoralise Peter Serafinowicz (who has raised £20 and has two team members), but these tweeters have become alchemists and turned twitter into gold. And Comic Relief are the lucky beneficiaries.'

To get involved visit Twitter and search for #twittermillion and to see which celebrities are doing best click here.

 

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