Almost Lm900,000 collected by L-Istrina

An all-time record SUM of almost Lm900,000 was collected in this year's edition of the 11-hour charity fund-raising marathon L-Istrina produced by Where's Everybody and broadcast on Television Malta yesterday.

Where's Everybody produce various TV programmes, including the Friday evening Xarabank, which consistently attracts the highest number of viewers on the island.

Within four hours of the programme's boisterous start, Lm355,244 had already been donated.

Last year, L-Istrina netted Lm476,000, but it was clear that that record would be beaten. In fact, the sum raised by 10 minutes past midnight was Lm877,488, which was well over this year's unofficial target of Lm800,000.

Transmitted live on TVM between 1 and midnight, the programme proved to be a gruelling marathon for presenters Peppi Azzopardi and Valerie Vella, who sweated it out, keeping track of the sequence of numerous spots and innumerable visitors to the studio.

While viewers where enticed to donate money by being shown valuable prizes - ranging from cars to jewellery, from furniture to household appliances and holidays abroad - they were presented with heart-breaking cases, mostly of young children who suffered from some form of physical or mental disability.

Without taking yesterday's donations into account, during the past seven editions L-Istrina raised about Lm1 million, L-Istrina producer PJ Vassallo said.

Mr Vassallo said that about 500 volunteers were involved in the sketches and dance routines that peppered the show, apart from leading personalities led by President and Mrs Guido de Marco, who took calls for donations.

Apart from donations over the telephone, a steady stream of people on their own initiative or on behalf of work colleagues and company directors went personally to the studio purposely put up under a large tent outside Television House in Guardamangia.

Before the introduction of the exchange of Christmas gifts, which is a relatively new custom among the Maltese, L-Istrina was celebrated on Epiphany (January 6) when children were given money gifts, usually from their grandparents.

For this year's edition of L-Istrina, the producers worked extremely hard to get as many gifts as possible to encourage viewers to phone in with their donations.

In all Lm137,000 worth of gifts were distributed. The cornucopia included eight cars worth about Lm45,000 in all and other items, including a Berloni kitchen, Persian carpets, mobile phones capable of transmitting photographs, flat-screen TV sets and coffee-making machines. Microsoft also donated 1,001 copies of its Encarta CD-Rom encyclopaedia.

The gifts viewers won were mostly brought into the studio in a supermarket trolley with the value of the goods at times exceeding Lm1,000.

For the second year running, the Malta Labour Party boycotted L-Istrina; however, among those taking telephone calls were Labour MPs Karmenu Vella and Louis Buhagiar.

For the second year running too, in contrast with the MLP boycott, L-Istrina was opened by the General Workers Union led by secretary-general Tony Zarb.

This year's record proceeds will be distributed as follows: 50 per cent will go to the Malta Community Chest Fund; 20 per cent to Ir-Razzett tal-Hbiberija in Marsascala; 20 per cent to Life Cycle for the renal unit at St Luke's Hospital; five per cent to Moviment Missjunarju Gesù fil-Proxxmu; and five per cent to the Jesuit Refugee Service for children with AIDS in Brazil.

A selection committee set up by the Public Broadcasting Services and chaired by Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima identifies organisations who would benefit from the funds collected in any one year.