Lewis Hamilton snubs F1 party to visit poverty-stricken children in Far East

[Mid]

Lewis Hamilton snubs F1 party to visit poverty-stricken children in Far East
Sonia Elks
29th March, 2012

Lewis Hamilton shunned the celebrations at the end of the Malaysian Grand Prix to spend time with some of the world’s most deprived children.


Formula fun: Lewis Hamilton plays a game with Jasmine, Sally and Mary Jo, who all live with their families on the streets of Manila
(Picture: Sharron Lovell/UNICEF)

The former Formula 1 champion bypassed the champagne parties and raced to the Philippines on an awareness-raising trip for Unicef.

While there, Hamilton shot a short film about the lives of the 85,000 children who live and work on the streets of Manila, struggling for food and shelter.

He spent time with youngsters including ten-year-old Reynold, who is forced to live in a cart and work and beg to raise money for his younger brothers Arnold, nine, and Rico, two, to eat.


Brotherly love: Lewis Hamilton in Manila with Reynold, Rico and Arnold
(Picture: Sharron Lovell/UNICEF)

The McLaren driver chatted to street children in the Binondo area of the city about their lives.

The 27-year-old Briton said: ‘The young boys and girls who I have met today are really fantastic but they are living without food, clean water and a safe place to sleep at night.

‘It shouldn’t be like this. Please, buy a ticket for Soccer Aid in May, or make a donation. It could be the difference between life and death for a child.’

Soccer Aid is a celebrities and legends football match taking place at Old Trafford on May 27. See unicef.org.uk for more details. Hamilton’s film will be aired by ITV1 that night.

metro.co.uk

[Malicious]

Very nice to see a super earning "sportsman" showing love and charity.

[Ratchaburi]

There should be more like Lewis

[Bung]

Good PR for him.

I doubt he snubbed the party, more like his handlers planned his trip and it just happened to be at the same time as the party. He would have very little free time at this point of the season.

Party's would be a weekly affair in F1.

[Thetyim]

Good PR for him.

Exactly. The sincerity factor has just increased.
The fees he can charge for advertising have now gone up.

[Butterfly]

^

regardless, not a bad thing for him to do

[Mr Earl]

Classy move, let's hope he didn't take any of the kids back to his hotel.
I'd hate to see him go MJ.

[kmart]

Easy to be cynical about celebrities doing charity work, but if he makes a little bit of difference and raises some awareness of Unicef's work, then fair play to him. Those photos are great.

[socal]

I had more respect for the guy before he got both of his ears pierced.

[peterpan]

I had more respect for the guy before he got both of his ears pierced.

Likewise, I had more respect for you before you got that Clit peircing.

[baldrick]

I had more respect for the guy before he got both of his ears pierced.

Likewise, I had more respect for you before you got that Clit peircing.

I had more respect for you before you told us that socal had his clit peirced

[thehighlander959]

I think he listening a bit more to his Pussy Cat Doll. She is very streetwise concerning media relations, in the past media relations have not been great for Lewis.

I think its great that he has taken the time to do this, and kudos to him and his PR Team for making the effort. Nice to see ITV have filmed it, it might help make people aware in other parts of the western world that there are people a lot worse off than them.

[Airportwo]

Hope he doesn't end up another media puppet like Angelina Jolie!

[Sailing into trouble]

I had more respect for the guy before he got both of his ears pierced.

I'll let him know that Socal next time I bump into him. Sure he will attend to his image to suit your increased approval rating.

[socal]

I had more respect for the guy before he got both of his ears pierced.

I'll let him know that Socal next time I bump into him. Sure he will attend to his image to suit your increased approval rating.

Getting fag tagged doesn't tend to my image. Maybe it does for you

[Bettyboo]

Those photos are great.

Yes, he looks like it means a bit more to him than just PR. Good to see. Give a bit back...

[Seekingasylum]

Bit of a paradox this, isn't it?

Chap benefits from good PR extolling the value of charity to assist those less fortunate than him yet he lives in tax exile so as to avoid paying for those services benefiting folk in Britain less fortunate than him.......

I do love a hypocrite particularly when he seems utterly oblivious to his own cant.

But still, he does look like he means it when flying the Unicef flag so I suppose that's alright then. Sentimentalism at its most hideous.

[Bettyboo]

^ or, he could have done nothing and just shagged a supermodel in Monaco instead...

[Seekingasylum]

Yeah, sure Boo, like flying in first class organised by an entourage staying in the best of accommodation festooned in flunkeys tending to one's every whim is a fucking hardship.

Don't be such a simpering willy warmer.

The guy is just another celebrity Mother Theresa parachuted in by the PR machine for the delectation of the gullible masses.

Pass the sickbag, Alice.

[socal]

Yeah, sure Boo, like flying in first class organised by an entourage staying in the best of accommodation festooned in flunkeys tending to one's every whim is a fucking hardship.

Don't be such a simpering willy warmer.

The guy is just another celebrity Mother Theresa parachuted in by the PR machine for the delectation of the gullible masses.

Pass the sickbag, Alice.

Don't you think its a bigger deal that he got fag tagged ?

[blue]

the gent nailed it,
this scum moved residence to Monaco to avoid paying his share of tax ,and therefore greedily opted out of helping poor kids etc in UK.
At the time he said it was because he was tried of been recognised in Britain and nothing to do with cash....

hope he crashes in the next race and breaks his big toe !

[Bung]

I would have thought that there were plenty of more recognisable people in the UK than him who manage to soldier on....

[taxexile]

this scum moved residence to Monaco to avoid paying his share of tax ,and therefore greedily opted out of helping poor kids etc in UK.

he also avoided contributing towards the benefit entitlements of the hundreds and thousands of able bodies healthy but lazy scroungers, many of them not from the uk, that leech money out of the uk benefit system. for this he is to be applauded.

to help the unfortunate it is often more helpful for the super rich to donate directly to a trusted charity, organisation, orphanage, hospice etc. than rely on governments to make those donations on the behalf of taxpayers.

whether hamilton makes private anonymous donations or not, we dont know.

[Bung]

Either way, I think he does more for the less fortunate people than most rich pricks do so hats off to him for that.