Guardian & Observer Readers Raise Over £500,000 For Safe Passage

The Guardian and Observer Christmas appeal closed yesterday having reached an astonishing £1,75million for child refugees. The funds raised will be shared by three charities working with child refugees: Help Refugees, The Children’s Society and Safe Passage.

Watching the total going up and up over the last four weeks has been a humbling experience. Over 17,500 readers donated to the Appeal, we have been inundated with offers of help and support by readers, and we are incredibly grateful to all the Guardian and Observer staff who have given up their time to raise funds for the appeal.

Neil Jameson, Executive Director of Citizens UK, said:

“We have been overwhelmed by the support of Guardian and Observer readers. We will be putting the funds raised to immediate use; as Greece sees refugees camping in sub-zero temperatures, our team are working hard to identify those who have a legal right to safe passage. In the longer term, the funds will be used to open safe and legal routes to many more refugees, as well as supporting communities to build a welcoming environment here in the UK.”

The funds raised will help Safe Passage to open safe and legal routes for refugees, meaning that people who have already had to flee their homes do not have to risk their lives trying to reach sanctuary in Europe. We will also be supporting communities to create a welcoming and supportive environment for refugees.