Champion Charlie is the Most Popular Fundraiser

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Fulham schoolboy's efforts for Haiti earn him national award

Charlie's fame spread across the world in January 2010 when he completed a sponsored bike ride around South Park to help victims of the Haiti earthquake.

At the time Charlie, who was then seven, hoped to raise £500 by riding round the park seven times - a distance of five miles. But as word spread about this epic effort, thousands of messages of congratulations from as far away as Japan, Australia and America, plus European countries including Portugal, Austria and Bulgaria.

With the JustGiving page still open until 2015, Charlie has now raised an astonishing total of almost £211,000!

The funds have gone to UNICEF's Haiti Earthquake Children's Appeal.

And at the end of last month, Charlie posted this message on the page:

Dear Everybody

Thank you very much for all the money you have donated to the children in Haiti. The people in Haiti can now have a water kit, and some food and a tent.

Mummy reads me some of my messages and I really like them! I can’t believe how money how much money I have raised, it has been very mad!!!

Thank you all very much. Love from Charlie Simpson

The Most Popular Fundraiser award celebrates the people who had the highest number of donations to their JustGiving pages in 2010. Charlie came top 9,265 donations.

On being presented with his award by TV's Rory Cellan-Jones, Charlie said: "Thank you to all the people who voted for me. I am so happy!"

Michael Newsome, Director of Individual Giving at UNICEF UK, says: "The dramatic destruction caused by the January 2010 Haiti earthquake shattered the lives of millions of children and continues to cause great suffering to countless others. But with the support of Charlie and fundraisers like him, UNICEF will continue to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable across the country.

" The £200,000 Charlie raised has helped to save the lives of children right across Haiti. We all congratulate him on his well deserved award."

More than 220,000 people lost their lives and 300,000 were injured when they were caught in the rubble caused by the Haitian earthquake. UNICEF is continuing to work with partners to rebuild Haiti and aid its recovery.

February 25, 2011