Christmas FM has raised €331,515 for Barnardos, their chosen charity for their most recent broadcast in 2021.
This figure has well surpassed the original goal of €250,000, which will go directly towards Barnardos’ mission of working to give vulnerable children living in disadvantaged communities a better chance – because childhood lasts a lifetime.
Listener donations raised for Barnardos will be used to provide targeted and intensive support for over 6,800 children most in need – providing nutritious food, support with education, and therapeutic services with their trained support teams.
The 2021 fundraising figure brings to over €3 million the total amount the radio station has raised for a range of charities since its inception in 2008.
The costs of running Christmas FM are covered by various sponsors, ensuring that all on-air fundraising and donations go directly to the charity partner. The station is run each year by a core management team and more than 100 volunteers on-air, who devote hundreds of hours of their time.
Paul Shepherd, Co-founder of Christmas FM, says: “We are delighted to have raised just over €331,515 for Barnardos this year. We couldn’t have done it without our loyal listeners who tuned in and donated so generously to Barnardos.
“We’re also thankful to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland for granting us the license to broadcast and our premier FM sponsors for the year – Cadbury, Coca-Cola, and An Post.
“We would also like to thank askpaul.ie who kindly donated the studio this year. As ever, we are so grateful to the team and the volunteers who help make Christmas FM happen by assisting with the day-to-day running of the station – we couldn’t do it without each and every one of you!”
Suzanne Connolly, CEO, Barnardos, says: “We were so honoured and humbled to be chosen as the 2021 Christmas FM charity partner, and have been overwhelmed by the incredible support of the public for the Christmas FM Give the Gift of Childhood appeal for Barnardos.
“Raising a phenomenal €331,515 throughout December to support our vital services throughout, we can now provide over 6,800 children with access to nutritious food, support with education, or therapeutic services with our trained support teams.
“We can’t thank the Christmas FM team, donors, supporters, and everyone involved in this campaign enough – thanks to you we can change the lives of over 6,800 children living in poverty. It’s never been more important to support vulnerable children, and thanks to your help we can continue to be there for those that need us most. Thank you all.”
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland grants Christmas FM a 30-day temporary sound broadcasting license, which enables the station to broadcast on a range of frequencies throughout the country.
Celene Craig, newly appointed BAI Chief Executive, said: “The BAI was delighted to have been in a position to award a temporary sound broadcasting contract to Christmas FM again this year.
“The temporary radio service continues to be very popular with audiences, spreading festive cheer and goodwill. On behalf of the BAI, I would like to congratulate the station’s volunteers and its listeners on their collective efforts in raising significant funding for this year’s charity partner, Barnardos.”
This year, Christmas FM was generously sponsored by the premier FM sponsors Cadbury, Coca-Cola and An Post. Christmas FM was broadcast from the askpaul.ie offices, who kindly donated the studio space.