Thousands of people from across the globe have been united by colour in an effort to raise crucial funds for UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organisation. So far the Own A Colourwebsite, which offers the chance for everyone to buy their own personal colour for a minimum donation of at least £1 per colour, has generated £85,964.

A number of high profiles celebrities have bought colours to support UNICEF as well as spreading the word on Twitter. UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Sir Roger Moore named a shade of blue ‘Swedish Blue’ after his wife’s homeland and the colour of the Swedish flag. UNICEF UK Ambassador Jemima Khan also opted for a shade of blue which she named ‘CFC Blue’ for her son, who’s a big fan of Chelsea Football Club, and renowned entrepreneur and fellow UNICEF UK Ambassador Duncan Bannatyne stayed true to his Scottish roots with ‘Scottish Saltire Blue’.

The global Own A Colour fundraising initiative, which is being powered by Dulux, has also received considerable support on Twitter. An estimated 10,000 people from all over the world have been tweeting about Own A Colour, including influential tweeter and actor Stephen Fry as well as ex-prime minister’s wife and charity campaigner Sarah Brown, who has in excess of 1.6 million followers.
In total 12,213 colours from the world’s biggest ever colour palette have been sold so far, bought by people spanning 84 countries and reaching as far as Argentina, China, Indonesia and New Zealand. Globally, the most popular colour is pink, which has made up 11 % of all colour purchases.

Michael Newsome, Director of Fundraising at UNICEF UK said, “We are delighted with the amount of money raised so far. Each and every colour purchased will help UNICEF to transform a child’s life. There are still 16,765,003 colours left and with Christmas approaching, I urge you to get onto www.ownacolour.com and show your support.”
Matt Pullen, Marketing Director Dulux UK said, “Own A Colour has really captured people’s imaginations and united people across the globe with colour and with the mission of transforming children’s lives. We hope this success will continue especially with Christmas around the corner… what better gift than buying a friend or loved one a colour which will ultimately help a child’s life?”
Visit www.ownacolour.com for more information and to purchase your own colour for a £1 and help transform a child’s life.

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For more information, contact either Sarah Stevens on: 020 7478 7830 or at homeandgarden.pressdesk@grayling.com

Long-term supporters of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, Markel Insurance and Butlins joined forces to provide a fun-filled day out for young carers on Saturday 22 October at two Butlins resorts – Bognor Regis and Minehead.

Thirty six young carers from the Carers Support Centre Bristol and Surrey Young Carers were given a little respite from their caring responsibilities and enjoyed a fun-packed day of fairground rides and seaside treats.

Daniel is 15 and cares for his Mum who has mobility problems, his 14 year old sister who has life threatening asthma and his 11 year old brother with ADHD. The family haven’t had a holiday in years. ‘I’ve never been to Butlins in my life and I’m well excited I can hardly wait or sleep. I’m going to go on all the fairground rides as soon as I arrive.’

Young carers’ are children under the age of 18 who look after someone in their family who has an illness, a disability, a mental health problem or a substance misuse problem, taking on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult. Many young carers feel hopeless, isolated and alone – they often feel robbed of their childhood. We are working with carers as young as 5 years old – many of whom take on responsibilities way beyond their years.

Markel and Butlins have been supporting The Princess Royal Trust for Carers for over four years. The ethos of both organisations is to make a real difference to the lives of unpaid carers and to know that anything they do in cash or in kind really does benefit carers.

Kim Britten, Director of Fundraising at The Princess Royal Trust for Carers said: ‘The Trust is delighted to have the continued support of both Markel and Butlins, two organisations who clearly demonstrate how working together can make an even bigger difference to the lives of young and adult carers alike. We believe this is partnership working at its very best where everyone is a winner especially unpaid carers.’

Helen Walker, Marketing Manager Markel said: ‘It’s fantastic to see how carers benefit from our support. We are delighted that, along with Butlins, we have been able to bring some excitement and normality to the lives of these incredible young carers, and that for one day they can enjoy the freedom we often take for granted.’

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For further information and photographs:
Contact
Helen Walker
marketinguk@markeluk.com
0845 351 2600
8th Floor, Riverside West
Whitehall Road
Leeds
LS1 4AW

Notes for Editors:

Markel (UK) Limited is a leading specialist insurer providing insurance for a variety of professional, management, social welfare, charitable and speciality property/liability risks for organisations of all sizes. More information can be found at http://www.markeluk.com

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers is the largest provider of comprehensive support services, reaching more than 424,000 carers, including more than 28,500 young carers, through a unique network of 144 independently managed Carers’ Centres, 85 young carers’ services and interactive websites http://www.carers.org and http://www.youngcarers.net.