Christian Aid ambassadors and supporters

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Large group of smiling supporters holding red Christian Aid balloons Credit: Christian Aid

Ambassadors

Chibundu Onuzo

Chibundu Onuzo started writing novels and short stories at the age of ten and less than a decade later became the youngest woman ever signed by Faber.

Her debut novel, The Spider King’s Daughter (2012), was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Etisalat Prize, shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Commonwealth Book Prize, and won a Betty Trask Award.

Her most recent novel, 'Welcome to Lagos', was published in 2017 and has been reprinted three times.

Chibundu was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2018. At the 2020 American Black Film Festival, the HBO Short Film Competition was won by 'Dolapo Is Fine', for which Chibundu co-wrote the screenplay and which was based on her short story 'Sunita'.

Chibundu has supported Christian Aid through joining internal discussions about depictions of African identity within international development and is now involved as an ambassador.

Cole Moreton

Cole Moreton is a writer and broadcaster exploring who we are and what we believe in. His BBC Radio 4 series 'The Boy Who Gave His Heart Away' won Audio Moment of the Year at the Arias and Best Writing at the World's Best Radio Awards in New York.

He also contributes to Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2. Cole was named as Interviewer of the Year at the Press Awards for his work with the Mail on Sunday and also writes for other titles including The Guardian and the i.

He is the author of five books including 'Hungry for Home', which was shortlisted alongside Zadie Smith's 'White Teeth' for the prestigious John Llewelyn Rhys Prize for first book of any kind. Cole is a long-time contributor to Greenbelt festival and co-founder of a gathering called Wild Spirit, for people of all faiths and none who seek to encounter the sacred in the open air. An East-ender by birth, he now lives by the sea.

Kima Otung

Kima Otung is a contemporary R&B and neo soul musician and song writer. She is Nigerian-born, Wales-raised and East London-based. Her music has featured on ITVs Love Island, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio London and more. Kima writes her music for women and is passionate about women’s empowerment.

For our 2020 Christmas Appeal, Kima sang a new version of 'When out of Poverty is Born', written for Christian Aid. Her powerful performance helped to raise awareness of the campaign through social media.

Kima is delighted to join Christian Aid as an ambassador.

Watch Kima's rendition of 'When Out of Poverty is Born' here.

Kris Marshall

Kris Marshall has been starring in films, on television and on the stage for more than 20 years. He is best known for roles in the Richard Curtis film 'Love Actually' and TV series 'Death in Paradise' and 'My Family'.

He is a longstanding supporter of Christian Aid. In 2006, he travelled to see our projects in Bolivia where our local partners were helping communities whose land and forests were being pillaged by cattle ranchers.

His film 'Forests on the Frontline' helped us raise awareness of this injustice.

Rhidian Brook

Rhidian Brook is an award-winning writer of fiction, television drama and film. His first novel 'The Testimony of Taliesin Jones' (1996) won several prizes including the Somerset Maugham Award and was adapted for film starring Jonathan Pryce.

His third novel, 'The Aftermath' (2013) was an international bestseller and translated into 25 languages; he co-wrote the film adaption that starred Keira Knightley.

He wrote the screenplay for the BBC’s film drama, 'Mr Harvey Lights A Candle', starring Timothy Spall; was a writer on two seasons of 'Silent Witness'; and wrote the screenplay of the Pathe film 'Africa United'.

He is currently adapting his most recent novel – 'The Killing of Butterly Joe' – for television. He has been a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s 'Thought For The Day' for 20 years. A collection of his thoughts, entitled 'Godbothering', was published by SPCK in March 2020.

Rhidian is a Christian Aid ambassador and one of the contributors to our book, 'Rage & Hope: 75 Prayers for a Better World'.

Reverend Kate Bottley

Writer and broadcaster Reverend Kate Bottley is a priest from north Nottinghamshire. In 2012, Kate was part of a viral wedding flashmob video, which led to her appearing in Channel 4’s BAFTA and NTA-winning series 'Gogglebox'.

Kate currently presents 'Good Morning Sunday' BBC Radio 2. She's appeared as a contributor on 'Saturday Breakfast' with Dermot O’Leary, and on 'Pause for Thought' on Chris Evans’ Breakfast Show, for which she won a Jerusalem Award. She also fronted the BBC Radio 2 documentary 'Believing in Beauty'.

Kate is a regular presenter on 'Songs of Praise' and 'The One Show' (BBC 1). She's also presented 'Alone With the In-Laws (Studio Lambert/BBC 2) and 'In The Footsteps of Judas', a flagship Easter documentary for BBC 1.

Kate has written for a variety of newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, The Independent, Saga Magazine and the Radio Times.

She's currently taking a break from full-time parish ministry, but continues to take church services, and officiates at weddings and funerals as part of a wider remit which includes writing and broadcasting projects.

Kate adores outdoor swimming, not only for its benefits to her physically, but also her mental health. In 2019 she set herself - and completed - the challenge of doing 365 outdoor swims in a single year.

Baroness Maeve Sherlock, OBE

Baroness Maeve Sherlock, OBE is a Labour life peer. In 2010 she was made Baroness Sherlock of Durham City in 2010, and has since been ordained as a deacon and as a priest.

In 2018, Baroness Sherlock was ordained as a deacon of the Church of England. In 2019, she was ordained a priest at Durham Cathedral.

From 2007 to 2010, Maeve was a commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

She chaired the National Student Forum from 2007 to 2010, and was a Non-Executive Director of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission from 2008 to 2010. She has been on the board of the Financial Ombudsman Service since 2007.

She was chief executive of the Refugee Council, a charity supporting refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, between August 2003 and October 2006. Prior to joining the charity, she worked as a special advisor to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown MP.

Sherlock is a former president of the National Union of Students, and was a trustee of the think tank Demos.

Supporters

Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith OBE is most widely known as the creator of 'The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency' series of books, set in Botswana, which has now sold over twenty million copies in the English language alone.

He has written and contributed to more than 100 books including specialist academic titles, short story collections, and a number of immensely popular children’s books.

He is also Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He is a great admirer of Christian Aid and always supports the local fundraising initiatives in Edinburgh, such as the famous annual book sale at St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church.

Sir David Suchet

Sir David Suchet is a film, television and stage actor whose career spans 50 years. He played the iconic role of Hercule Poirot for over 20 years which secured him as one of the UK’s most-loved household names.

Sir David was awarded a CBE in 2011 for services to drama and received a knighthood in 2020 for services to drama and charity. David is involved in many charities and is a huge supporter of Christian Aid’s work.

David Lammy MP

David Lammy is the Labour MP for Tottenham. He has been the MP for his home constituency since 2000. In April 2020, David was appointed the Shadow Secretary of State for Justice.

David was born in Tottenham in 1972, one of five children raised by a single mother. David served for eight years (2002-10) as a Minister in the last Labour government, including as Culture Minister and Higher Education Minister, and was appointed to the Privy Council in 2008.

As a Minister in the Department of Health David oversaw the introduction of four hour waiting times in Accident and Emergency Departments.

David has been one of Parliament's most prominent and successful campaigners for social justice. He led the campaign for Windrush British citizens to be granted British citizenship and paid compensation by the government, forcing the Home Secretary to guarantee the citizenship of Commonwealth nationals, set up a specialist Commonwealth Taskforce and establish a compensation scheme.

David has supported Christian Aid with internal discussions about approaches to international development and promotion of events on social media.