BT pledges £1m to Sport Relief 2012

Sponsors series of celebrity challenges starting with Walliams vs The Thames

BT has today pledged £1million to Sport Relief 2012 and has confirmed it will sponsor a series of celebrity challenges starting with The BT Sport Relief Challenge: Walliams vs The Thames on Monday 5th September.

Sport Relief veteran, David Walliams is attempting the toughest, most dangerous and gruelling test of his life, to swim the Thames in just eight days. BT will be inviting its staff and customers to help keep David afloat through a series of fun fundraising initiatives and has set up a dedicated page on the online fundraising service BT MyDonate. BT will also be beaming special updates on David’s progress from the top of the BT Tower throughout the swim.

BT already has a proud history of supporting Red Nose Day and Sport Relief challenges, including the nonstop cycle relay in 2010, Red Nose Day 2009 Kilimanjaro climb and this year’s desert trek through Kenya - not to mention Red Nose Day and Sport Relief telethons. This new commitment will see the company do even more than ever to help change lives by sponsoring The BT Sport Relief Challenges – a series of tough celebrity endurance feats between now and the summer of 2012.

David Walliams, said, “It’s great to be teaming up with BT again to support another Sport Relief challenge. We are grateful for BT’s support and continued commitment to Sport Relief.”

David James, marketing director, consumer BT, said, “2012 is set to be the UK’s biggest ever year of sport and we are delighted to once again be supporting Sport Relief. We hope that our staff and customers join in to make The BT Sport Relief Challenges a real success.”

-Ends-

About Sport Relief
As the nation celebrates the biggest ever year of sport, the entire country can join in the fun with Sport Relief 2012 from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th March.

Over one million people are expected to take part in the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile as they raise cash to change lives at home and across the world’s poorest countries. And, with a whole weekend of top Sport Relief telly planned across the BBC, it’s all set to be huge.

From David Walliams’ cross-Channel swim to Eddie Izzard’s 43 marathons in 51 days, Sport Relief has a unique history of brave celebrities taking on gruelling physical challenges to raise cash and change lives. Sport Relief 2012 will be no exception with even more daring, vast and awe-inspiring celebrity challenges on their way.

Visit www.sportrelief.com to keep up with the latest news.

Sport Relief is an initiative of Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland).