GamesAid vote

London, 22 ^th October 2010 – GamesAid, a UK games industry charity for children and young people, has unveiled the five charities that received the most votes from its members and will go on to receive to a donation of £20,000 each.  This represents a 76% increase in donations year on year. This amount is in addition to the funding for the Paddington Academy that came directly from the PS3 Triple Pack released in June, which is still selling through at retail.

The five charities are; Action for Kids, Families Need Fathers, SpecialEffect, The Willow Foundation, and Volunteer Centre Sutton: MAPS.

Lyn Prodger from Action for Kids, a charity that works with children and  young people with physical and learning disabilities, said: “We are really excited to be working with GamesAid again this year and would like to thank everyone for their support in terms of funds donated, time spent and the events and activities they organize. The GamesAid grant will make a real difference to the lives of some fantastic and inspirational children and young people”.

Nadja Singh, Director of Fundraising at Families Need Fathers, added: "The donation from GamesAid could not come at a better time for Families Need Fathers. We, as is the case for many charities, await the outcome of the government spending review with apprehension, and anticipate a drastic cut in the services we will be able to deliver. The money from GamesAid, therefore, will ensure that whatever the outcome, parents at the height of their most desperate crisis, when they fear they may never see their children again, will be able to get through to our telephone helpline and be supported in finding a child-centred way forward”.

Bob Wilson, founder of the Willow Foundation, said: “This year the Willow Foundation aims to provide almost 1,400 special days and this generous donation from GamesAid is invaluable to help us achieve this target.  Thanks to GamesAid we will be able to make a positive impact, not only on the lives of the young people we help with this funding, but to their loved ones too”.

Adam Knuckey, Manager at MAPS, a mentoring service for vulnerable and marginalised children, added:  “MAPS are very excited about the prospect of putting this donation to work, allowing many vulnerable children to have access to specialist mentors, fun activities and key resources to help them develop and achieve more. The Award demonstrates the excellence of our committed volunteer mentors who offer time week in, week out to transform lives for the better. We are very proud to be associated with GamesAid and the positive work they are engaged in”.

Dr Mick Donegan Director, SpecialEffect, said"The SpecialEffect charity is dedicated to ensuring that everyone, no matter how severe their disability, can share the camaraderie, challenges and sheer enjoyment that comes from playing computer games.  From the word go, no organisation could have supported the charity more enthusiastically that GamesAid.  This fantastic donation will enable us to transform the quality of life for some of the most disabled and needy children in the country, whether they are in hospital, at a hospice or recovering from a traumatic injury or illness at home.  With GamesAid's generous support, we're taking huge strides in making it GameOn for everyone!"

Andy Payne, Chairman of GamesAid, concluded: “We are delighted to be donating to these five charities, all of whom do an extremely important job in this country and contribute greatly to improving the lives of some of society’s most vulnerable individuals. It is especially pleasing to see that the members of GamesAid have once again voted to make this a completely democratic decision. We look forward to working closely with these charities in the forthcoming year and ensuring we update the members and the industry in general on all their fantastic efforts, as we do every year. It’s a real shame that there had to be three charities that missed out. The voting was so close this year, we would encourage everyone to pitch in, join GamesAid and have their say going forward”.

All member of the UK Videogames Industry are encouraged to support GamesAid and become members by registering online at www.gamesaid.org

All fundraising donations are gratefully received at www.justgiving.com/gamesaid.

-ENDS-

For more information please contact Caroline Miller:

Email: gamesaid@gmail.com

Mobile: 07765 255 002

Website: www.gamesaid.org