Andy Murray Glasgow Match Raises £700,000

17 November 2017, 12:04

A charity tennis event set up by British number one Andy Murray raised more than £700,000 this year.

Andy Murray Live, presented by SSE, more than doubled the £305,000 amount raised in 2016.

The cash will be shared equally between Unicef UK - for whom Murray is an ambassador - and Scottish charity Sunny-sid3up.

This year saw Murray take on Roger Federer in the singles on November 7 before he was joined by brother Jamie to take on Tim Henman and Mansour Bahrami in the doubles.

Murray said: "It was always really important to me that this event should be for charity and so I'm really pleased we've been able to build on the success of last year and more than double what we raised in year one.

"Being able to support children and those in need is really important to me. The money raised will make a real difference in Scotland and around the world."

Unicef will use the money raised to help protect children in emergencies, such as those affected by the Syria crisis.

The funds could help Unicef provide sets of hats and gloves for 116,000 children to keep them safe and warm this winter.

The fundraising total was boosted by a dinner around the show-court at the Hydro in Glasgow on the eve of the event.

It also featured live music performed by Will Young and Rob Brydon as MC and auctioneer. Guests were treated to a meal from renowned chef Albert Roux of Chez Roux.

The event was streamed on Facebook, where viewers were able to donate to the charities direct from the live stream.

Mark Devlin, Unicef UK's chief operating officer, said: "We are incredibly grateful to Andy for his continued support as a Unicef ambassador to help children in danger.

"The money raised by Andy and his fans will help Unicef provide life-saving food, clean water and vaccines, as well as education and psychological support for children affected by conflict and disaster around the world."

Sunny-sid3up will focus on tackling projects that improve lives and communities in both in Scotland and overseas.

Spokesman Tony Feeney said: "We are really grateful to Andy for choosing to support us this year.

"We are already making plans to allocate some of the funds to help those that need it most during the Christmas period."

Colin Banks, head of sponsorship and reward at SSE, said: "Glasgow is a great host city for the event and the welcome that Roger Federer received when he stepped out on court with Andy, was amazing."