The STV Children’s Appeal has finished its 2026 television show with £2,539,500 raised. It is a sum large enough to require commas, a presenter and at least one responsible pigeon checking nobody has left the collection tin on top of the car.
Lorraine Kelly hosted the live programme from STV’s Glasgow headquarters. Fife singer Cammy Barnes performed with Port Glasgow’s Riverside Youth Band and a choir from Grangemouth’s Young Portonian Theatre Company, two projects supported by the appeal.
Then came the bit a fundraising total cannot quite capture. Barnes invited the choir to join him at one of his two sold-out OVO Hydro concerts in April 2027. Their next production is an Alice in Wonderland pantomime at Grangemouth Town Hall, so the route now runs from Wonderland to the Hydro with barely time to label the costume bag.
The Scottish Government has supported the appeal since it began in 2011, providing up to £1 million a year. Friday’s programme also featured projects in Rothesay, Moray and Edinburgh. The announced total covers fundraising across 2026; STV says the appeal supports children and families across Scotland.
The money is the serious achievement. The invitation is the human one: young performers from Inverclyde and Falkirk discovering that a Glasgow television stage can lead to an arena. Mammy’s only practical note is obvious. Put the Hydro date in the diary now, and somebody remember the music stands.
