Airdate: Light Up Xmas Appeal

Nine will present its first ever Light Up Xmas Appeal for the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation on Saturday.

It will be hosted variously by David Campbell, Sylvia Jeffreys, Belinda Russell, Brooke Boney, Richard Wilkins and Peter Overton.

The appeal is in support of Sydney’s great network of child healthcare services, including The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, Kids Research, the Newborn and paediatric Emergency Transport Service (NETS) and the only children’s hospice in NSW, Bear Cottage.

A star lineup of Nine’s personalities will host the broadcast, including Today Extra’s David Campbell, Sylvia Jeffreys and Belinda Russell, Today’s Brooke Boney, Weekend Today’s Richard Wilkins as well as newsreader Peter Overton.

Multiple ARIA Award winner Delta Goodrem and family favourites The Wiggles will be performing, along with the great Australian pop group Human Nature, Masked Singer winner Bonnie Anderson, Eurovision finalist Dami Im and Aussie singer-songwriter G Flip.

Powerful and heartwarming stories will be told by Today’s Karl Stefanovic, Ally Langdon and Alex Cullen, Wide World of Sports’ Erin Molan, journalist Leila McKinnon and more Nine favourites.

The stories include:

The remarkable Miles brothers, one of whom is living with cerebral palsy and the other who has overcome brain cancer.
A courageous eight-year-old girl with a rare genetic condition known as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome which effects the connective tissues supporting skin, bones and blood vessels.
The resilient young girl now aged ten who was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition known as moyamoya disease after waking up one morning covered in yellow bruises and struggling to get out of bed.
And the extraordinary young boy diagnosed with kidney disease while in utero.

Every year, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick care for more than 150,000 children, seeing more than 88,000 children through their emergency departments and performing more than 18,000 operations. Bear Cottage support 200 children and families with life-limiting illnesses during respite visits, NETS continue to work closely with 252 hospitals across NSW, receiving an average of 11 calls a day involving hours of consultation and support while researchers in Kids Research continue working towards new treatments and cures, conducting more than 200 clinical trials a year.

Money raised during the appeal will go towards supporting these vital services and could help fund play therapy toys and equipment, specialised cots and paediatric beds, a specialised NETS ambulance, spa therapy and other services.

To donate go to lightupxmas.org.au or call 1800 244 537.

2pm Saturday December 19 on Nine (Sydney).