Liverpool’s European Cup winning heroes got to stand on board another open-top bus yesterday. Five weeks ago they paraded through Liverpool to celebrate their victory in Istanbul, but yesterday they were publicising something more important.
A UK national newspaper has commissioned an open top bus to draw attention to the Make Poverty History campaign, which this weekend will hit the headlines in a big way with Live8 and the march to the G8 summit. The bus is en route to that summit, taking place in Edinburgh on Saturday.
On the bus sponsored by the Daily Mirror were captain Steven Gerrard and manager Rafa Benitez. Also on board were other Reds heroes, including Jamie Carragher, Fernando Morientes, Didi Hamann, Djibril Cisse, Xabi Alonso, Djimi Traore, Antonio Nunez and Josemi.
Speaking about the campaign, skipper Stevie said: "We made history by winning the European Cup for the fifth time in May but that means nothing in comparison with making poverty history. That would be absolutely unbelievable."
Jamie Carragher was glad to be able to do something for the cause, saying: "It’s just great to be involved in all of this. All the lads are delighted to support Live 8. The Daily Mirror bus is fantastic – and just the right colour. Good luck on your journey all the way to Edinburgh."
Although the campaign is designed to go on for the whole year, this weekend sees the real push for publicity. The Live 8 event includes concerts in numerous countries and comes almost 20 years since the original Live Aid. This time, instead of asking for money, the campaigners are asking for you to help. Much more about the campaign, the reasons for it, what you can do and latest news can be found on the following websites:
Live 8 Event – http://www.live8live.com/ – The international official web-site all about the Live 8 Event.
Make Poverty History – http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/ – The official UK website for the campaign.
The One Campaign – http://www.one.org/ – The official US website for the campaign.