Simon Cowell has pledged £800,000 to help coronavirus-hit charities and urged other business leaders to do the same.
The music mogul offered help after noticing the coronavirus has had a ‘knock-on effect’ on small charities around the UK.
Writing for The Sun, he said: ‘I was devastated to learn one of the many charities impacted is Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, a small charity in the south of England I have been lucky to be involved with since 2002, which is a lifeline to 800 families with babies, children and young people suffering the most devastating life-limiting conditions.’
Just last week, one Shooting Star Children’s Hospice site was forced to close, along with their high street shops.
Along with his pledges, Simon has also promised to take on £500,000 of ‘the deficit faced by them.’
He continued: ‘…I have also decided with my team at Syco to donate $1,000,000 (£800,000) towards the immediate needs of some of the most vulnerable people impacted by this virus, and this will be split between Feeding Britain and Feeding America, where I work and live.’
However, the 60-year-old claims that these charities need all the help they can get.
So he asked other business leaders to donate in order to keep the charities running.
‘I don’t like celebrities telling people what to do, and I know this is a hugely difficult time for so many — worries about family, health, jobs, paying the mortgage and feeding their family are at the forefront of people’s minds,’ Simon added.
‘But there are still other people in business and in entertainment with resources available. So today it’s those people I’m urging to rise to this enormous challenge.’
His news comes after the UK coronavirus death toll reached 759 after another 181 people were confirmed dead.
It is the biggest day-on-day increase since the outbreak began, surpassing yesterday’s record of 115.
In England, a further 168 people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths to 689, the NHS said.
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