AddThis SmartLayers

Newspaper campaign prompts mystery £10k donation

A mystery benefactor has handed a £10,000 cheque to a homeless charity after reading about its plight in a local newspaper.

The Kentish Gazette is currently running a campaign called Give Them Shelter designed to raise cash for a charity helping people living rough in Canterbury in Kent during the harsh winter months.

The KM Group-owned newspaper’s appeal was read by one donor who was so affected by its content he went along to the shelter’s offices to hand over £10,000.

It means the charity now has enough money to pay for the emergency shelters in church halls and similar venues for three months. Last year’s campaign raised £18,000.

Community shelter co-ordinator Chris Kemble from the charity Catching Lives said: “We had a call from someone who wanted to visit us with the intention of making a donation.

“When he arrived he was actually carrying a clipping from the Gazette which featured the recent appeal. When he told us he wanted to donate £10,000 our jaws dropped.”

Editor Leo Whitlock said:  “Together with our readers, I’m proud that we’ve been able to make a real difference.

“With the cold weather just around the corner, this donation could help to save lives and it shows how much good local newspapers do week in and week out.”

The campaign was the brainchild of Gazette’s chief reporter Gerry Warren.