Streamers and Gaming Brands Unite to Grant 100 Wishes

Dan TDM, GaGOD, Beardageddon, It’s Tegan, InDeeDee, and KT.EXE are just some of the amazing people who helped Make-A-Wish UK smash its target during the charity’s first ever #Wish100Week fundraising campaign.

They all supported Make-A-Wish, alongside game developers, brands, fundraisers, and streamers, in the challenge to raise £200,000 - enough money to grant 100 wishes to seriously ill children. 

In fact, they raised almost £300,000 through livestreams and donations!

Sports Interactive produced an in-game advert in Football Manager, while Miniclip co-created the campaign and King, Ten Square Games, Codemasters, Hutch, MTG, Huuuge Games, Fusebox, Venatus, Curve Digital and Stillfront also supported the initiative.

It was an urgent fundraising drive after hundreds of wishes were put on hold during the pandemic and after new, independent research showed the extent of the need the charity exists to meet: 63,000 young people in the UK are eligible for a wish because of their diagnosis. That figure is set to grow.

Wishes to have consoles, PCs and VR equipment have been possible to grant during lockdown, and they’ve also become more popular because they aid wellbeing.

Jason Suckley, CEO at Make-A-Wish UK, said: “In the past few years, we have learnt a lot about the positive relationship between gaming and the wishes we grant. Children with a critical illness can become isolated from their friends, so for them, the benefits of gaming are incredible. The rapid increase in the number of gaming wishes we have granted during the pandemic has illustrated this. It is not just playing a game. It is about the chance to be who you want to be, the chance to escape for a while and the opportunity not to be alone.

"We are all absolutely blown away by the success of Wish 100 Week and I'd like to thank all those involved. What excites me most is that this is just the start of a partnership between Make-A-Wish and the gaming sector. Together, we can ensure that, in the future, the wish of every child with a critical illness will be granted.”

To read some of the wish stories highlighting the campaign, visit https://www.make-a-wish.org.uk/wishes/wish-stories/

To join the community involved in this campaign, and bolster fundraising further, visit: www.make-a-wish.org.uk/get-involved/fundraise-in-your-community/gaming-to-grant-wishes/

All those who raise £250 or more through their fundraising page between now and the end of August have the chance to be entered into a prize draw to win a coveted PS5!

Media contact

Simon Henry
Make-A-Wish UK Communications
[email protected]
07786 650922
Make-A-Wish UK, 7th Floor, Thames Tower, Station Road, Reading, RG1 1LX

For images or video footage to support this story, please contact [email protected]

About Make-A-Wish UK

Every day, the lives of 10 families in the UK are changed forever when a child is diagnosed with a serious illness. From that moment, childhood takes a backseat to medical appointments and worry. A wish helps to restore that childhood and puts worry on the backseat. It provides an opportunity to choose something positive to look forward to and the chance to be a child first and a patient second.

Make-A-Wish UK is a registered charity that was established in the UK in 1986 to support children and young people diagnosed with a serious illness or life-limiting condition, by granting them their dearest wish. The charity receives no Government funding - registered charity numbers: 295672 in England and Wales, SC037479 in Scotland.

Notes to editors

We do not use the phrase ‘terminally ill’ and ask that you follow suit because some poorly children and young people are not made aware of the exact nature of their diagnosis and we respect their family’s approach to their situation. Some also recover fully from their illness.

Please refer to us as Make-A-Wish^® UK in the first instance to distinguish us from affiliates in other countries. Thereafter ‘Make-A-Wish’ is suitable.

Please hyperlink to our website (https://www.make-a-wish.org.uk) when you mention Make-A-Wish online.

You can also find us on social media @makeawishuk