The X Factor and Talktalk join forces to do their bit for ITV s Text Santa

The X Factor and Talktalk join forces to do their bit for ITV s Text Santa

The X Factor, and their show sponsors Talktalk, are to make a donation of £200,000 to ITV's Text Santa appeal. The money will benefit this year's Text Santa charities Macmillan Cancer Support, Make-A-Wish UK and Save the Children.

During The X Factor Final this weekend, Simon Cowell and the judges will be doing their bit in a Christmas knit' in a special sketch to highlight the appeal. It's Christmas and everyone including The X Factor judges are keen to wear their festive woolies, do their bit in a Christmas Knit and support Text Santa's Christmas Jumper Day to raise money. Nick Grimshaw, Cheryl Cole, Rita Ora and even Simon's three dogs look the part and impress everyone with their jumper choices but the question on everyone's lips is will Simon, join in the festive fun or will it be a case of bah... humbug from him. Viewers can tune-in to this weekend's The X Factor final to find out.

Simon Cowell said: "We are excited to be able to support Text Santa this year. It does really great things for people who need help and so The X Factor and Talktalk have decided to kick start this appeal - and I'm very grateful for their support.

Richard Holloway, Interim CEO FremantleMedia UK and Managing Director, Thames TV, said: We're delighted to be supporting Text Santa and the important work they are doing.

Tristia Harrison, Managing Director of Talktalk Consumer, said: Everyone deserves a happy Christmas, so we're proud to be supporting the fantastic work of Text Santa and all their charity partners.

A three-hour TV spectacular on Friday 18 December will be the climax of Text Santa Christmas Jumper Day and the winning act of The X Factor will do their first post The X Factor performance on the show. Starting at 8pm on ITV, there s a non-stop treat of sketches from some of the channel's most popular shows including Downton Abbey, Coronation Street, Benidorm, Ninja Warrior UK plus music, surprises and much more. The show also includes the special charity films presented by Ant & Dec, Bradley Walsh, Julie Walters, Martin Clunes, Amanda Holden and Myleene Klass.

It's all about fun, festive and fabulous knitwear. With a call to do your bit in a Christmas knit Text Santa is asking everyone to get out their favourite Christmas woolly for Text Santa Christmas Jumper Day.

The appeal hopes to inspire a whole army of fundraisers to raise more money than ever before.

The money raised will go towards funding nurses and other essential workers so that people affected by cancer get the support they need; granting wishes to enrich the lives of children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions; and transforming children's lives here and abroad to give hope to families in difficulty at Christmas.

100% of the money will be shared equally among the Text Santa charities, going directly to support their vital work. All donations to Save the Children's international work will be matched pound for pound by the UK Government up to £5 million.

Donations can also be made via the following platforms: To give £5 text SANTA5 to 70760; to give £10 text SANTA10 to 70760; to donate by phone call 0300 123 6060; or donate online at itv.com, stv.tv or u.tv.

Text Santa is now in its fifth year and has so far raised over £21million for UK charities. The annual appeal also helps to increase awareness of the vital work of our charity partners by using ITV's reach to millions of viewers across the UK. 100% of the money will be shared equally amongst the Text Santa charities going directly to support their vital work. All donations to Save the Children's international work will be matched pound for pound by the UK Government up to £5 million.

Last year, thanks to the public's fantastic generosity, the money raised through Text Santa helped to provide 45,000 hours of specialist care to help young people fight cancer, support over 3,600 people suffering from dementia, and provide 51,650 hours of care to children and their families.

Supporting Text Santa for 2015 are appeal partners Primark, who will donate to the appeal for every Christmas Jumper sold from the 1st December to the 17th December.* Other appeal partners include Papa John's, Vodafone, Twentieth Century Fox and department store Liberty.

Go to www.itv.com, www.stv.tv and www.u.tv. for terms & full charity details. More information on how to get involved in Text Santa Christmas Jumper Day can be found at www.ITV.com/textsanta.

ITV Text Santa is produced by ITV Studios.

Notes to Editors:

*Primark will donate £1.50 to the appeal for every Christmas Jumper sold in a Primark store in the UK during the designated period 1ST December 17th December 2015.

About ITV Text Santa Appeal

ITV Text Santa is ITV's annual fundraising appeal aimed at giving hope at Christmas by raising money and awareness for selected charities and causes. Since 2011 more than £21 million has been raised in support of 22 different charities.

The appeal will run from the beginning of December and will encourage the public to take part in a series of festive fundraising activities. It will culminate in an evening of television entertainment on Friday 18 December, which will showcase the work of the three 2015 charities and highlight how they give hope to families in difficulty at Christmas.

Text Santa is part of ITV's Corporate Responsibility strategy which aims to leverage our reach for the benefit of our communities, whether through raising awareness of issues, recruiting volunteers or raising money for charity. In 2014, ITV contributed over £15 million through cash and in-kind contributions to help charities and causes. In addition to this, the public helped raise a further £12 million through our appeals

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