Simon Cowell gives J$216 million to charities

Simon Cowell has donated PS1.3 million (nearly J$216 million) to charities amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The music mogul has revealed that he and his team at Syco are giving PS800,000 (J$132.9 million) to be split between Feeding Britain and Feeding America and he is also taking on PS500,000 (nearly J$83 million) of the deficit faced by Shooting Star Children's Hospices, after fundraising was impacted by the coronavirus.

And Simon, 60, - who has son Eric, six, with partner Lauren Silverman, 42, is urging other business leaders to donate, too.

In a guest column for The Sun newspaper, Simon wrote: "I don't like celebrities telling people what to do, and I know this is a hugely difficult time for so many -- worries about family, health, jobs, paying the mortgage and feeding their family are at the forefront of people's minds.

"But there are still other people in business and in entertainment with resources available. So today it's those people I'm urging to rise to this enormous challenge.

"The wealthy donors and corporations I'm talking about. I hope that if any good can come from this awful crisis it might be that people everywhere start to see the world a little differently.

"Whether it be for urgent support for key workers, the health charities or those with front-line needs, or for smaller charities such as Shooting Star Children's Hospices who are also badly suffering as a result of this crisis -- all of these good causes have rarely needed our help more than they do today," he said.

Simon has been involved with Shooting Star Children's Hospices - which helps babies, children and young people suffering devastating life-limiting conditions - since 2002 and he is also the patron of Together For Short Lives, the national charity for children's hospices.