Text Santa asks all to Do Your Bit In A Christmas Knit

Text Santa asks all to Do Your Bit In A Christmas Knit

ITV's Text Santa appeal is back, bigger and better this year and, teaming up with three charities, Macmillan Cancer Support, Make-A-Wish UK andSave the Children - it's all about fun, festive, 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 on Friday 18 December and to help give hope to families in difficulty this Christmas.

People can start fundraising right now by visiting ITV.com/textsanta and signing up for a fundraising kit which is bursting at the seams with top tips, fundraising advice and festive ideas to help them sweater up and share the jumper joy. The pack is crammed with ideas of how people can involve their school, workplace, nurseries, universities, colleges or just groups of friends and begin the process of raising much needed funds for this year's great causes.

The festive fundraising doesn't end there, with the chance for people to don a Santa suit to take part in London's largest Santa run, attend a Christmas quiz at their local pub and much more.

The official fundraising starts with a bang on the 1st December leading up to the big Christmas Jumper Day on the 18th December when Text Santa will ask everyone to wear their Christmas Jumper with pride culminating in a three-hour TV spectacular on ITV.

Last year's Text Santa star-studded evening got the nation talking and included everyone's favourite Hollywood star George Clooney making his own special contribution to Downton Abbey; host Phillip Schofield climbing the Shard; a particularly stomach churning attempt at some of the I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! challenges by group McBusted; a rap battle between hosts Alesha Dixon and Paddy McGuinness; and live music throughout the evening as well as special sketches from ITV shows such as Birds of A Feather and Coronation Street.

The appeal hopes to inspire a whole army of fundraisers this year to raise more money than ever before. By supporting the work of Macmillan Cancer Support, Make-A-Wish and Save the Children monies raised will make a real difference to people affected by cancer, children with life limiting illnesses and children in crisis at home and abroad.

Peter Fincham, ITV's Director of Television said:

"Text Santa is ITV s annual flagship fundraiser and this year we are asking everyone to join us in showing their support, both in the lead up and on the big day itself, by taking part in fundraising, and wearing a Christmas jumper on the 18th.

With our partners this year in Macmillan Cancer Support, Make-A-Wish, and Save The Children, we are looking forward to making December 18th a big one for ITV - encouraging our viewers to get involved with Christmas Jumper Day, and that evening, broadcasting live with Text Santa for our biggest and best entertainment spectacular yet."

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.

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. 100% of proceeds from the appeal will be shared equally amongst the three amazing charities, going directly to support their vital work.

In this, the fifth year of the show, supporting Text Santa for 2015, 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.

Notes to Editors:

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 21 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 bring 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 2015, 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 and campaigns to support their vital work in the UK and abroad. For more information on ITV's Corporate Responsibility agenda, and the Text Santa appeal specifically, visitwww.itvresponsibility.com

About Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan Cancer Support believes that no-one should face cancer alone. There are 2.5 million people living with cancer in the UK today. As Britain's leading cancer support charity, we know that cancer can take over your whole life and the lives of those around you. That's why our Macmillan nurses and other professionals work tirelessly to help individuals and their families with expert medical, practical, financial and emotional support at a time when it is needed the most. Macmillan is committed to providing expert care and support thro

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