The Pluto Appeal lands on Bing

Bing hands over its homepage to children’s charity as part of its Help Your Britain campaign

Microsoft’s search engine, Bing.com, is today handing over its daily homepage to The Pluto Appeal, which aims to raise £1.5million for a ‘da-Vinci’ surgical robot to perform life-saving operations in the Chelsea Children’s Hospital at Chelsea and Westminster.

Enabling the charity to tell its story to Bing’s 12.7 million UK users, Bing is running an exclusive image that celebrates the charity, as well as providing in-depth information about The Pluto Appeal, which was chosen by the British public as part of Bing’s ongoing Help Your Britain campaign. The campaign is all about encouraging the public to do more for charitable causes.

The new surgical system would give thousands of children and babies in London and the South of England access to the benefits of robotic surgery, which allows for quicker recovery times, shorter hospital stays, smaller scars and less chance of infection. The ‘da-Vinci’ robot would be the first advanced surgical system dedicated solely for children and babies in Southern England and London—the only other robot in the country being in Leeds.

Jason Bradbury, patron for The Pluto Appeal and Gadget Show presenter, said: “Helping to buy Pluto the Robot is the most important project I’ve ever been involved with. It's great to know that Bing is recognising the importance of the technology that Pluto brings to children's surgery through their fantastic support.”

Hot spots on the homepage will provide users with additional information about how The Pluto Appeal is helping to raise funds for this exciting and important project. Users can also watch a behind the scenes video about the charity by visiting www.bing.com/helpyourbritain. To find out more information about the charity, including details by making a donation, go to Bing’s Help Your Britain page.

Mr Munther Haddad is Chairman of the Children's Hospital Trust Fund which is running The Pluto Appeal and Senior Consultant Paediatric Surgeon in the Chelsea Children’s Hospital at Chelsea and Westminster.

Mr Haddad said: "We are very excited that Bing is supporting the Children’s Hospital Trust Fund to help raise money for much-needed surgical equipment. The charity has come a long way with The Pluto Appeal but there is still a long way to go. We hope that the charity’s coverage on the Bing homepage will be the voice needed to raise awareness of the important part Pluto the Robot will play in revolutionising paediatric surgery for babies and children in the UK.  Even a minimal donation of £1 enables minimally invasive robotic surgery and maximum results.  Pluto is helping small people live a big life.”

Peter Maxmin from Bing says: “The Pluto Appeal is a truly inspiring cause, and with six of the nine trustees being doctors at the hospital, they are acutely aware of where help and financial support is needed the most. Their great work at The Pluto Appeal is all geared towards increasing funding, which is why we’re delighted to be showcasing the charity as part of Bing’s Help Your Britain campaign.

“The Pluto Appeal is the ninth user-nominated charity to feature as part of Bing’s ongoing Help Your Britain campaign, and follows an encouraging level of interest from our users, all wanting to do great things by nominating causes that are close to their hearts that are making incredibly valuable contributions to communities across Britain.

“There are more than 187,000 registered charities across Great Britain with a story to be told, many of which will never be heard due to the lack of resources at their disposal. Bing is shining the spotlight on these unsung British heroes, enabling the British public to nominate the charities they would like to see featured on the homepage via www.bing.com/helpyourbritain.”