News of the World
About 30 charities also took up the paper's offer of free advertising in its last edition yesterday
Three charities will receive equal shares of the profits from the sale of the final edition of the News of the World.
An article in the newspaper said it had chosen to support Barnardo’s, the Forces Children’s Trust, and military projects at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity.
It did not say why it had chosen those three organisations. Nobody at the newspaper was available for comment or to confirm how much had been raised.
Mike Hammond, chief executive of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity, told Third Sector this morning that the News of World had not yet confirmed how much the charity would receive but it was told on Saturday it should be a six-figure sum.
"There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have accepted that donation from News of the World," he said. "It’s one that will benefit a lot of families."
Denny Wise, chairman of the Forces Children’s Trust, said it had discussed whether to accept the newspaper’s money with trustees.
"We’re a very small charity; we haven’t got the resources that some other charities have and this will help us tremendously," he said.
The News of the World also offered charities free advertising space in its last edition.
Many charities rejected this offer but about 30 did take it up.
Sir Nick Partridge, chief executive of the sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust, which was among those that advertised, said it decided to do so because it "owed it" to its beneficiaries.
"We were offered advertising space our charity could never have afforded in a paper with an incredibly wide reach," he said. "If more people with HIV now know about a service which can help them live life to the full then some good has come out of this."
A spokesman for the Disasters Emergency Committee, which also advertised in the paper, said it was imperative to take every opportunity to raise money for the 10 million people at risk from drought and conflict in East Africa.
"The DEC trustees have therefore decided to take up the offer of a free advertisement in the News of the World," he said. "The DEC in no way condones the unconscionable behaviour of some News of the World journalists and executives."
Scott Jacobson, director of marketing, communications and fundraising at St John Ambulance, said nearly 1,000 people had already texted it to request free first aid guides following its advert.
Other charities that advertised included: Wellbeing of Women, Friendship Works, Enham, Medécins Sans Frontières, the MicroLoan Foundation, WWF-UK, The Well Foundation, New Family Social, and the Children’s Heart Federation.
