The United Kingdom is known to be a country full of philanthropists. This has been as a result of the efforts of some individuals and a host of corporate entities that always go out of their way to donate their money, time, and other resources to charity. These groups of people and entities do not ever want to hear of a desperate situation or a vulnerable person or group of people. They fight hard to ensure that there is equity in society and that everyone can access basic social amenities with ease and without any form of discrimination. According to a report released by Sunday Times, some of the individuals who have deep pockets in the UK are in sports and showbiz. This is indeed proof that the biggest stars in Britain can also be stars in giving to the poor.

He is a renowned songwriter and musician. Some of the funding areas that he involves himself are LGBT, health, arts and culture, humanitarian, and environment. Most of his charity work energy has been directed to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. However, the songwriter and musician still manages to spare some more time to help in other causes. Since he has been active in his fifty-year music career, Elton is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Elton was first involved in charity work when he got into work in the treatment and development of the AIDS crisis, which came under the spotlight back in the 1980s. It was during this time that a young teenager Ryan White, aged 13 years, tested positive for the HIV virus which is responsible for AIDS. Ryan contracted the disease through blood transfusion.

Since no one had a proper understanding of the disease at that time, Ryan was discriminated against owing to the virus being known chiefly as a sexually transmitted infection (STI). As a result of the stigma that Ryan suffered, he was featured as a poster child in many AIDS adverts alongside a host of celebrities. This was in an effort to curb stigmatization against HIV positive people.

John Elton originally loaned Ryan’s mother $16,500 which was intended as a deposit for a house. The money and the house ultimately became a gift when Elton turned down the repayment of the money. Instead of accepting the money, John set up a fund to help Ryan’s sister in college education. When Ryan died in 1990, Elton proceeded to register the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Elton has since donated more than 8% of his total earnings which translate to over £24 million.

Steven is a former Liverpool legend. He has been active in soccer for over 20 years and he is looking into venturing into full time coaching in the near future. Gerrard has already started his own charity, the Steven Gerrard Foundation (SGF). Its main aim is to raise as much money as possible that can be used to support charity work, geared towards helping children. The SGF does not discriminate on children’s projects that they support. The first projects that are due to be helped by the SGF are the Children’s Hospice and Fair Bridge.

In order to ensure that the foundation is run in a professional manner, it has contracted the services of Consortium for Street Children. This will ensure that the money raised by the foundation will be put into proper use to help change the lives of deserving children who are really vulnerable. It focusses mainly on helping street children and young persons as well. It does not matter if one is ill, disabled, educationally disadvantaged, or financially broken. The foundation is in a position to assist after an in-depth analysis on a case-by-case basis is made.

Gerrard spent most of his life in Liverpool, and he has first-hand experience into the challenges that are faced by many people especially children. He helps to make a long lasting impression. Steven is personally involved in charity work through offering advice, sitting on the board that offers aid, and visiting the projects that have been initiated by the foundation.
From mid-2011, any organization that is involved in charity work can also apply for funding from SGF. The details of the grants are accessed from the website.

Successful recipients are selected after an analysis of an independent board. Steven has, to date, given over £1.3 million of his earnings to charity.