A FUNDRAISING appeal for children's charity Unicef made during Wednesday's opening ceremony has reached £3.5 million.
More than half a million people in the UK responded after watching an appeal by James McAvoy and Sir Chris Hoy at Celtic Park in Glasgow. A total of 595,000 people have made donations by text alone, Unicef UK said, with many more contributing online.
The charity announced the new total on their Twitter feed, tweeting: "The news has come in! An amazing £3.5 millon was raised via text&online at the #Glasgow2014 Opening Ceremony! Thank you!!!
During the ceremony, actor McAvoy said: "This has never been done before - this many people in a single moment all coming together to make a life-saving difference to millions of children." Sir Chris said: "Let's make history together."
Figures from other territories and online donations are still being counted.
Earlier in the show, Unicef ambassador Ewan McGregor burst into the opening countdown to urge viewers to be ready to take time to think about children across the Commonwealth.
During the event, video messages from celebrities including former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and singer Nicole Scherzinger highlighted the importance of Unicef's work. To donate £5, text FIRST to 70333.
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