James McAvoy donates £270k to help doctors amid coronavirus

James McAvoy has donated £275,000 to help buy personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline NHS workers battling the coronavirus pandemic.
The 'X-Men' star took to Instagram on Sunday (29.03.20) to reveal he has made a donation to a crowdfunding campaign titled #Masks4NHSHeroes, which is raising money to provide National Health Service (NHS) medical staff with the masks and other protective gear they need whilst treating those suffering from the illness.
In a video urging others to donate to the cause, he explained: "Hello, I'm James McAvoy and I'm here to talk to you about an appeal called Masks For Heroes. We have all heard stories about doctors and nurses having to buy their own personal protective equipment from the internet or DIY stores, and the products aren't good enough, and frankly neither is that situation.
"Not only does it put the doctors and nurses at risk of contracting COVID-19 themselves, but it puts them at a higher risk of passing it onto their patients or their patients' families, and giving them COVID-19. This situation is truly urgent, and time is of the essence, but there is a worldwide shortage of PPE."
James, 40, went on to insist the Masks For Heroes appeal is gathering "verified equipment" from "international sellers", and said money donated to the cause will "save lives".
He added: "So what have Masks For Heroes done? They have found a way to get more personal protective equipment to the NHS frontline staff using international sellers selling verified CE and EN verified equipment. Now that's important because that's the good stuff, it's the stuff the actually works. That means masks, eye protection, gloves, surgical gowns, and they can get it all here by airfreight in one week.
"That means that money donated today will save lives, it's as simple as that. Now, the government are trying but they are overwhelmed and the NHS needs all the help they can get. So help us, help the government to help the NHS to save lives. It is that simple."
James' call to action comes as the UK has reported almost 20,000 cases of coronavirus, with over 1,200 losing their lives to the illness.