10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT COMIC RELIEF

OUR HISTORY AND WHY WE EXIST

Comic Relief was founded in 1985 when Richard Curtis, Jane Tewson and friends came up with an idea to use comedy to change lives in Africa and the UK.

The first Red Nose Day took place in 1988 – a whopping 30 million viewers raised over £15 million

In 2004 Sport Relief joined the Comic Relief family. We urged people to raise cash by taking part in Sport Relief Mile events - all in red socks. The campaign raised over £14.4 million. There have been 8 Sport Relief campaigns collectively raising over £363 million.

To date, Comic Relief has raised over £1.3 billion. That money has helped, and is helping, to improve countless lives across the UK and abroad.

Comic Relief is a funder supporting projects targeting four key issues of our time. These are:
- Survive and Thrive: That every child has the right to the best start in life.
- Global Mental Health Matters: That every person has the right to quality mental health support where and when they need it.
- Safe Place to Be: Everyone having a safe, secure and decent place to call home
- Gender Justice: All people regardless of gender, having equal power and say in the decisions that impact their lives.

Of the money we raise, 50% supports projects in the UK and 50% support projects internationally.

Butterflies – Educating and imparting life skills to children on the streets of India, empowering them with knowledge and the ability to escape poverty and illiteracy.

Bluebell – Based in Devon, this project helps mums address their mental health problems through a 12-week therapeutic group programme providing support to help manage depression and anxiety.

Solace Women’s Aid – Working with older survivors of domestic abuse and increasing awareness of violence against older women, so that more women are able to disclose and receive appropriate support.

The Refugee Cricket Project at the British Refugee Council – The project aims to reduce the vulnerability of unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee young people in the UK to homelessness. Cricket is used to create a safe and trusted space where they can get specialist advice and learn independent living skills.

Comic Relief is of the 5 founding members of the ‘Living Wage Friendly Funder’ initiative. Now 42 Funders are involved, all ensuring that in the UK, job posts funded through investments are paid at the real living wage. Making a tangible difference to people’s lives.

The National Domestic Violence helpline (the first free domestic abuse helpline) was launched in 2003 and was jointly funded by Comic Relief and the government.

In collaboration with the Home Office, plus the NSPCC and other charities, we funded the first ever trafficking helpline to help young people who have been trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation.

Supported two organisations (Help Refugees and Safe Passage) working in the Calais ‘Jungle’ camp that brought the first unaccompanied child refugees to the UK.

Successfully supported the campaign to reduce the length of time pregnant refugees can be detained to 72 hours.

Supported work which has achieved strategic change for women and girls like the Refugee Women’s Charter.

In 1991 we held an event to give disabled people in the UK a voice. ‘Rights not charity’ became the watch-word and marked a turning point in securing rights for disabled people in the UK.

Over the years dedicated fundraisers across the country have backed our campaigns by raising money in ways only Comic Relief supporters could – one loyal fundraiser has sewn and sold red nose badges every year since 1985, we’ve seen an entire school dress up as Mr Bean and even had a Gallop-athon (yes, actual people galloping like horses around Chelmsford City Racecourse).

In 2013, Comic Relief boldly went where no Red Nose has gone before - space. Two Red Noses were launched into space in a race to see which would make it back to Earth first to raise money for Comic Relief.

In 2001, Billy Connolly ran naked around London’s Piccadilly after pledging to streak once the first £1 million had been raised.

Red Nose Day 1999 broke hundreds of records – one of them being ‘The most naked people on stage at one time’ when 101 lads and lasses went completely starkers.