Sky has today committed to donate £500,000 to the emergency relief fund recently established to support the UK’s creative community in the wake of COVID-19.

The new COVID-19 Film and TV Emergency Relief Fund, set up by the Film and TV Charity in partnership with the BFI using National Lottery funding, is providing much needed grants to the many thousands of active workers and freelancers who have been directly affected by the suspension of productions across the UK.

These funds will go directly to eligible workers and freelancers across film, TV and cinema. One-off grants of between £500 and £2,500 will be awarded based on need.

Sky joined the Film and TV Charity’s Taskforce on Mental Health at the beginning of the year and is committed to supporting the long-term wellbeing of the industry workforce as part of the charity’s strategy for better mental health through the Whole Picture Programme.

Gary Davey CEO of Sky Studios said: ‘Those who work behind the scenes are the backbone of TV and film production in the UK. At this incredibly difficult time, it’s important that we do all we can to support our most needy freelance colleagues and we hope that this donation will help to alleviate some of the immediate financial challenges many of them are facing over the coming weeks and months.’

Sky has made a number of commitments to help the UK through this challenging period including supporting NHS frontline staff with unlimited access to data and calls; prioritising the vulnerable and those self-isolating with alternative methods of communication where we cannot carry out critical repairs and prioritising the needs of vulnerable customers and key workers through our contact centres. Sky Group Chief Executive, Jeremy Darroch, will also donate 100% of his salary to COVID-19-related charities for the duration of the crisis.