Coram Celebrity Tokens of Love
16 March 2010 The UK’s first children’s charity, Coram, is launching a unique celebrity ‘Tokens of Love campaign’ as a tribute to the Georgian mothers who, out of dire poverty, were forced to abandon their babies into the charities’ care – nearly 300 years ago.
Many of the original Coram mothers left ‘love tokens’ to identify their children in case they could come back for them. These were coins or scraps of ribbon, buttons, anything they had. But most were never able to return and so thousands of children lived their lives with only these simple items to remind them of their mothers.
Inspired by this legacy, over 40 famous names are donating their own Tokens of Love to raise funds for Coram’s work, helping the most disadvantaged children deal with loss and move on in their lives. The list includes John Illsley, Mark Knopfler Jeremy Irons, Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley, Mary McCartney, Damon Albarn, Mark Foster, Dr Linda Papadopoulos, Jo Whiley, Anton du Beke, Flavia Cacace, Deborah Meaden, Lulu, Joan Bakewell, Ian Rankin, Alan Sugar, Jim Naughtie, Dame Jacqueline Wilson & Anish Kapoor.
The campaign includes an eBay auction which goes live on Thursday 18 March 2010 http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/coram1739/ and a celebrity gala auction at The Foundling Hospital on 23 March 2010.
The Tokens of Love campaign is a tribute to the continuing heartache of parents who, for whatever reason, are parted from their children or are unable to care for them.
Coram has been creating better chances for children since 1739. Established as the Foundling Hospital, a home for abandoned children dying on London’s streets, Coram has developed a range of programmes that bring positive change for children today and restore hope for the children of tomorrow.
Unique portraits of celebrities and their tokens by acclaimed photographer, Spencer Rowell, will be exhibited at Coram’s Foundling Museum, London from Tuesday 14 March 2010 – Tuesday 23 March 2010
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For further media information, a full list of celebrities or photography of the celebrity tokens, please contact Roberta Goldstein on 020 7520 0346 or email roberta@coram.org.uk
