BT announced that the Speaking Clock will help fundraise for Comic Relief by using different celebrity voices each day. Comic Relief celebrities will share the time-keeping over the next two months and include Gary Barlow, Chris Moyles, Kimberly Walsh, Cheryl Cole and Fearne Cotton.

The fun will start on Tuesday February 3 and each celebrity will replace the 'pips' with their own special Comic Relief sound.

This year BT aims to raise at least £300,000 and by dialing 123, 10 pence per call will help go towards the Comic Relief total. The only other previous Comic Relief's voice on the Speaking Clock was Lenny Henry six years ago in 2003 which helped to raise around £200,000.

Gary Barlow, said: "BT is helping to make a massive difference to the lives of thousands of people across the UK and Africa. If you call the Speaking Clock before March 13 and guess which famous voice will answer your call, it could even be me!"

John Petter, consumer managing director, BT Retail, said: "We are delighted to be sponsoring Comic Relief with the Speaking Clock, which will help raise funds, as well as help vulnerable and disadvantaged people at home in the UK. This builds on the vital support BT gives to Comic Relief's telethons."

BT will be raising funds via a number of high profile activities, including cause-related marketing initiatives through different business units such as BT Vision, BT Total Broadband, BT Business and the BT Shop, as well as a major employee fundraising programme.

For example, the BT Red Nose Climb is a celebrity expedition to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Comic Relief. The BT Red Nose Climb will see a team of famous faces scale Africa's highest mountain. Climbers include Gary Barlow, Chris Moyles, Kimberly Walsh, Cheryl Cole, Ronan Keating, Denise Van Outen, Alesha Dixon, Fearne Cotton and Ben Shephard.

BT is covering the cost of the stars' attempts to tackle the 19,340ft peak, and will also be running a number of fundraising initiatives to help raise vital funds for Comic Relief and the projects it supports in the UK and Africa. The expedition will set off in February, 2009 during the Red Nose Day Campaign.

To find out more about how you can help BT raise money for Comic Relief and www.bt.com/comicrelief. There is also the opportunity to win flights to Tanzania to meet the celebrities before they start their February climb of Kilimanjaro, another Comic Relief fundraiser called the BT Red Nose Climb..

BT has supported Comic Relief since 1985 providing telephony, call centres, network management and thousands of volunteer hours, enabling the charity to take millions of pounds in pledges on Red Nose Day. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to call the BT donation line on the night. BT's eDonate system will provide a secure online back-up for Comic Relief's website.

About Red Nose Day

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Red Nose Day is coming on Friday 13 March 2009 and is going back to its roots, asking people to Do Something Funny for Money!
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The Red Nose Day fundraising kit includes loads of ideas to help you Do Something Funny for Money! Order your copy now at www.rednoseday.com
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To make a donation, call 03457 910 910 (Calls to our 0345 number will cost the same as calls to 01 and 02 prefixed numbers and will be included as part of any inclusive minutes or discount package)
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Comic Relief's vision is to create a just world, free from poverty
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Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England / Wales); SC039730 (Scotland)
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Comic Relief spends all the money raised giving extremely poor and disadvantaged people in the UK and Africa a helping hand to turn their lives around

http://www.callcentreclinic.com/news/corporate-news-41/3159.htm

Gary Barlow most popular clock
Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 12:05

Gary Barlow is proving the most popular celebrity BT Speaking Clock.

The Take That star beat Girls Aloud beauty Cheryl Cole to having the most callers ring up in one day to listen to him tell them the time, with 10p from every call going to Comic Relief.

Gary racked up 70,000 callers in one day, while Cheryl was just behind with 69,000 dialling 123 to hear her tell the time.

But Gary also managed to keep callers on the phone longer, for an average of 47 seconds, by playing chords on his piano instead of the usual speaking clock pips.

Cheryl, Gary, Chris Moyles, Fearne Cotton and Girls Aloud's Kimberley Walsh will be the Celebrity Speaking Clock in aid of Comic Relief until March 23. They all have a different take on the pips, with Fearne blowing kisses and Chris blowing raspberries.Click here!

On February 27 they will be setting off with Ronan Keating, Alesha Dixon, Ben Shephard and Denise Van Outen to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief.

The money raised from their sponsorship will help change lives across Africa and the UK, and they'll be exploring how they can help tackle malaria, a disease which kills a child every 30 seconds across Africa.

With money raised from their climb and from the Celebrity Speaking Clock donations, Comic Relief will be able to provide mosquito nets that can prevent potentially fatal bites that cause malaria, as well as helping vulnerable, poor and disadvantaged people in the UK.

To find out more about how you can help BT raise money for Comic Relief visit www.bt.com/comicrelief.

http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/showbiz....le.html