Blue Peter and UNICEF today announced that the BBC Blue Peter Shoe Biz Appeal is close to reaching the landmark figure of one million pairs of collected shoes.
The Shoe Biz Appeal is asking viewers to collect pairs of second-hand shoes and deposit them at ‘Shoe Biz’ collection points in participating Clarks shoe shops until October, and schools around the country. The unwanted shoes, slippers and boots will be recycled and converted into cash for the appeal providing funds to support UNICEF’s work with children affected by HIV and AIDS in Malawi. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with over one million orphans, many of them as a result of HIV and AIDS.
Since its launch in November 2006, countless celebrities including Prime Minister Tony Blair, UNICEF Ambassadors’ David Beckham and Ryan Giggs, Emma Bunton, Ricky Gervais and Wayne Rooney, have donated their own shoes in support of the appeal.
Money raised through the Shoe Biz Appeal will create and expand UNICEF’s ‘Children’s Corners’ initiative. Children Corners are buildings and spaces within Malawian communities that provide children affected by HIV and AIDS with a safe haven where they are given food, medicines and the chance to learn and play. For those children unable to access Children’s Corners, a dedicated team of Community Care Visitors deliver medical care and emotional and practical support to children at home. The appeal aims to raise £500,000 - enough money to build 139 Children’s Corners, and train 556 community-based care workers - in turn improving the lives of tens of thousands of Malawian children.
The Blue Peter Shoe Biz Appeal is supported with a dedicated website www.shoebizappeal.org.uk which includes a ‘Children’s Corner’ game, Malawian photo galleries and the option to view Blue Peter appeal films online. The site also provides education resources available to schools and youth groups, including information on Malawi, and details of the appeal. Viewers can donate directly to the appeal via the site.
The Blue Peter Shoe Biz Appeal will run until November 2007. Blue Peter airs on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday at 17.00 GMT on BBC1, and at 18.30 GMT on the CBBC Channel. For further information, please contact Jeremy Sprigge, UNICEF UK Assistant Media Officer on 020 7312 7720 or via email jeremys@unicef.org.uk
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