Successful 2016 Christmas appeal has now closed

We have now closed our Christmas appeal for 2016 – and it’s been one of the most successful ones to date.

The British Wireless Christmas campaign for 2016 has been one of our most successful to date.

Fronted by our wonderful recipient John Baines and his wife Janet, the appeal has brought in around £28,000.

We launched the appeal on November 1st 2016 and closed it yesterday (Tuesday, January 31st).

John and Janet are both completely blind and they agreed to take part in the campaign as long term supporters of BWBF. They got their first set from us in the 1970s.

The amount raised through the appeal is enough for the charity to provide and install its most popular radio, the Concerto 2, to 155 visually impaired people completely free of charge.

It is a multimedia player which has functions to play audio content from CDs, tapes, USB sticks and memory cards. 

British Wireless is lucky to have the annual Christmas appeal supported by one of its patrons, broadcaster Sue Cook.

Mr Baines, 72, said: “I was so pleased to be asked to front the campaign for British Wireless.

“It’s a fantastic charity and one which my wife and I have supported for a very long time.

“Our Sonata radio provides us with so much enjoyment and really does make you feel a bit less lonely.

“To think we have been able to help raise money for British Wireless to give radios to other blind people is brilliant.”

Julie Hocking, who heads up BWBF’s Individual Giving, said: “We are delighted with the response we received in the three months the appeal ran for. 

“It’s a fantastic total and will make a real difference to visually impaired people across the UK.

 “I would like to say a big thank you to every single one of our supporters who donated to the appeal and to John and Janet for taking part.”