Donating to charity? Take inspiration from these Square Mile favourites

Following the devastating fire that raged through Grenfell Tower in June, which left at least 80 people dead and hundreds more homeless, a slew of celebrities descended on the QPR ground to support the Game 4 Grenfell charity match which raised funds and paid tribute to victims. Taking place earlier this month, Les Ferdinand and Alan Shearer captained Team Ferdinand and Team Sherer respectively, whilst the likes of Mo Farah, Olly Murs,Tinie Tempah and Jamie Dornan displayed their footwork skills on the pitch. Ed Westwick chose to show his support from the sidelines by taking selfies and chatting to fans in the crowd. The game is over but the funding need for Grenfell remains. secure.thebiggive.org.uk

Despite Ricky Whittle’s proclivity to life-threatening injury, including shattered his right leg in three places and undergoing an operation to remove a hernia which his surgeon claimed was the largest he’d ever seen, he doesn’t let his health stop him backing Richard Branson’s Virgin Unite charity. In 2010 he ran the London Marathon only a month after undergoing surgery for the aforementioned hernia. Despite it being his first, he successfully completed the race in aid of the charity which supports organisations such as Kids Company, which helps vulnerable children to thrive. A God among men. virgin.com

It is widely known that former British Army captain Ed Stafford became the first man to walk the entire span of the Amazon River in 2010. It is less widely known that he completed the perilous 6,000 mile, 860 day trek in aid of Cancer Research UK. The charity has a personal significance for him as his dad died of cancer aged 55 in 1999, which might have been what carried him through nine million-odd steps and around 200,000 mosquito bites. Butchering and tortoise. Having a run in with a two-metre electric eel capable of producing a potentially lethal 500 watt shock. And wading through a lawless drug-trafficking route in Colombia. If there’s anyone cancer doesn’t want on the opposing side, it’s Ed. cancerresearchuk.org/

Last Christmas, singer Una Healy and her rugby player husband Ben Foden took part in Hello! magazine’s charity advent calendar for Great Ormond Street Hospital. The pair shared their Christmas plans with their two children, Aoife and Taghg, which involved opening presents under the trees and the dog subsequently chewing them up. Their promotion aided funding for family accommodation at the hospital at Christmas and helped pay for play specialists, research and equipment. Thank God it's Saturday indeed. donate.gosh.org

In 2015, Iwan Rheon swapped his villainous persona for a pair of football boots as he took part in the 10th anniversary Soccer Aid match against England at Old Trafford. Playing under the captaincy of fellow Welshman and UK Unicef Ambassador, Michael Sheen, the RoW team lost 3-2 to the white shirts, but raised a record total of £6.6 million for charity. These funds will go towards providing education, food, clean water, vaccines, disaster relief and protection from violence for those in need in the UK and abroad. We don’t think Ramsay Bolton would be too pleased with the defeat, but we’re glad all players left the field with all body parts intact.unicef.org

When he isn’t organising some of the UK and Europe’s best festivals, Sacha-Lord Marchionne throws his weight behind local causes, such as The Joshua Wilson Brain Tumour Charity. Created in 2014 by Dawn and Colin – following their son Josh suffering post-surgery disabilities after undergoing an operation to remove a brain tumour – the charity aims to help families living with childhood brain tumours and post surgery disabilities. In 2013 Sacha was made aware of Josh’s story and became the charity’s patron. Asked of his proudest achievement, he noted this project, and not the DJ-in-a-derelict-building kind, as his proudest achievement to date. joshwilson.org.uk

No one trash talks or knocks out quite like Conor McGregor, but beneath the coarse exterior, distended muscles, and tattoos is a man who wants to give back to his community. Long before he was making hundreds of millions of pounds losing to Mayweather he was picking up a welfare cheque before his first big fight. Today, he supports vulnerable members of society by rallying behind homeless charities in his native, Ireland. This month he announced he is donating 25k euros to the medical treatment of the homeless and another 25k to Focus Ireland. focusireland.ie

Born in Westminster and having trained at RADA, London holds a special place in Tom Hiddleston’s heart. He is an advocate for Friendship Works, a young people’s charity which provides long-term one-to-one mentoring support for struggling youths. Mentors spend a few hours a week helping build the young person’s self-esteem and future aspirations. We could all do with a friend like Tom. When he’s not usurping thrones or aiding enemies of Asgard that is. family-action.org.uk

During a friendly with Slovakia at Wembley in 2009, David Beckham and his England teammates honoured British service men and women wounded in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Up to 30 members of the military watched England train at London Colney before enjoying lunch with the players and attending the match. Give that man a knighthood (and not of the King Arthur variety). helpforheroes.org.uk