Mayor raises £5m for new charity to beat child poverty

BORIS JOHNSON today revealed he has collected £5million for a new charity to help London children living in poverty.

The Mayor was announcing the launch of the Mayor's Fund for London, which aims to have an annual turnover of up to £20 million by 2013.

The news comes just a month after MrJohnson was forced to admit "not a lot" had been collected for the charity - which was a key election pledge. Today he will say there is now almost £5million in the pot, with £1.5million to be spent this year and £8million next year.

The cash, donated by anonymous individuals and organisations, will be initially for projects in the deprived East End boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Hackney, as well as the City of London and Islington, before being expanded across the capital by 2013.

Funding will be concentrated around Shoreditch in Hackney, with residents consulted on the best ways to tackle poverty in their area as well as ensuring services for children and families in need are connected. Mr Johnson, who is patron of the fund, said: "Sadly, some of our children live in unimaginable destitution. Over 600,000 live below the poverty line, and London is home to some of the most deprived boroughs in the country.

"Like Robin Hood we want to draw riches from wealth creators to give life changing support to the poorest.

"Under the expert eye of Sir Trevor Chinn [chairman of the fund] I have every confidence the Mayor's Fund will provide education, life skills and opportunities to children and families in need. I reiterate my plea to the wealth creating sectors in our great city to give back to Londoners in need of help, and donate to the Mayor's Fund."

Mr Johnson has already called on MPs with large expense claims and bankers who received bonuses to "alleviate their guilt" by contributing to the scheme.

Existing programmes which will receive support include:

●Every Child A Chance Trust, which aims to help those falling behind at school

●School Home Support, a national charity based in Tower Hamlets that builds bridges between home and school

●The Miss Dorothy programme, and its Watch Over Me mini-soap opera aimed at increasing safety and tackling crime in schools

●Morpeth secondary school which runs a mentoring and support programme.

Sir Trevor Chinn said: "We aim to improve the life chances and aspirations of disadvantaged children."