Sarah Millican’s Comic Relief challenge

Sarah Millican hopes to raise £1m for Comic Relief this year – with the help of her Twitter followers.

Millican, whose BBC2 chat show has been given a third series, has asked her fans on the micro-blogging site to each raise £50 for charity.

In return, she will follow every member of #TeamMillican to keep track on their progress, as well as retweeting their fundraising activities.

This morning, Millican tweeted: “Please join #TeamMillican to help raise the first #TwitterMillion? You only have to raise £50 each to make it happen.

“Let me know when you’ve joined and I’ll follow you to keep up to date with how you’re raising your £50. Use #TeamMillican xxx”

So far, followers have promised to give up the internet for a week, go on a UK-wide trip to ‘rudely-named places’, take their kids to school dressed as a clown, and give up their £50 a week doughnut habit.

A number of other celebrities are taking part in the #TwitterMillion campaign, including 10 O’Clock Live’s Lauren Laverne, singer Lily Allen and author Dawn Porter, wife of comic Chris O’Dowd.

Laverne posted: “You know when people say ‘but what is the POINT of Twitter?’? Today we can say ‘Raising a MILLION POUNDS for @rednoseday.’”

If you want to join #TeamMillican for the #TwitterMillion challenge, follow the hashtag on Twitter. For fundraising ideas, see: rednoseday.com/fundraise