Total raised for children's charity tops £5 million

More than £5 million was raised for children’s charity Unicef at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The amount came from online and text donations following a unique, world-wide appeal during the event’s opening ceremony.>

£3.5m was raised immediately – and this had risen to £5m by the end of the games.

The announcement was made by Prince Imran, Commonwealth Games Federation president, who told the closing ceremony at Hampden Park: “The generous support of our partnership with Unicef and Glasgow 2014 has raised a magnificent £5m, which is already transforming lives throughout the world. Thank you all for being so generous!"

Unicef said the £5m will allow it to reach every child in Scotland and children in every Commonwealth country.

This will be done in a whole range of ways – in Bangladesh Unicef is tackling child labour and child marriage, by helping to keep the most at risk children at school

In Malawi the charity is using sport and education to engage with young people and help reduce HIV infection.

Meanwhile in Scotland Unicef is helping ensure all new born babies get off to the best start in life, supporting a strong nurturing bond between parents and their babies.

Unicef UK Executive Director David Bull said: “From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank everyone who has supported the Put Children First campaign – we could not have done this without you. Both through raising such an impressive sum, and also through placing children and young people firmly at the heart of these Games, we have achieved something never done before.

“We will now set to work to ensure this money really does save and change millions of children’s lives across the Commonwealth, whether that is in Paisley or Papua New Guinea, Guyana or Ghana. Together we have shown that we can, and we will, put children first.”