Comedian Celeste Barber raises over $30 million for Australian firefighters

With Australia still being plagued by raging wildfires, Australian comedian Celeste Barber has managed to raise more than $30 million for fire services tackling the wildfires. The comedian has more than 6.4 million followers on Instagram and has prompted people from the UK, US and France to make donations in order to raise funds for the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

Barber's generous act prompted a few reactions on Twitter wherein people commended the comedian for her actions.

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She was not the only celebrity to raise funds for the raging Australian bushfires, US singer P!nk announced on December 4 that she pledged $500,000 (£382,043) to help fight the bushfires.

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"AO Rally for Relief" campaign

Australian Open also announced an "AO Rally for Relief" campaign to raise funds for the victims of the Australian bush fire. In an announcement, the organisers stated that there would be a charity match on January 15 and the proceeds from a live music concert will be donated to the Red Cross, among others. The announcement comes on the first day of the new tennis season which sees the ATP Cup begin across three cities - Brisbane, Sydney, and Perth.

The initiatives include -Tennis Australia granting $1 million to assists communities repair and rebuild tennis facilities damaged or lost in the bushfires. Proceeds from a live stage concert with Jessica Mauboy on Sunday 19 January will be donated as well. The event is set to see more artists join the cause.

More than 1,000 tennis clubs across the country will be encouraged to support the relief efforts as part of the launch of Tennis Australia’s newest adult social play participation program, Open Court Sessions. An international campaign called viral Aces for Bushfire Relief to encourage people to score and ace and thus donate to the wildfire relief.

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(With inputs from agencies)