JK Rowling

JK Rowling is giving £1 million to help the homeless and those affected by domestic abuse during the coronavirus lockdown.

The Harry Potter author is giving to the charities Crisis and Refuge.

Ms Rowling said the money would go towards helping some of those hit hardest by the outbreak and the impact of the lockdown.

She made the announcement on Twitter.

She wrote: “Today’s the 22nd anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, but I’m going to be honest and say that it feels inappropriate to talk about fictional deaths today.

“Too many people are losing loved ones in the real world.

“So, on this anniversary of a great wizarding victory, I’m thinking of the people who’re out there doing their jobs to protect us and our way of life.

“I have three key workers in my immediate family, and like all such relatives, I’m torn between pride and anxiety.

“As ever in a crisis of this sort, the poorest and most vulnerable are hit hardest, so in honour of the Battle of Hogwarts, I’ll be making a donation of £1m, half of which will go to Crisis, who’re helping the homeless during the pandemic, and half of which will go to Refuge, because we know that domestic abuse has, sadly, increased hugely during the lockdown.”

Crisis said the money will help its front-line response.

Refuge said the donation would bolster its services which have seen a huge upsurge in demand in recent weeks.

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said:

“We are overwhelmed to have the support of JK Rowling and we’d like to say a huge thank-you for her incredibly generous donation.

“People experiencing homelessness during the outbreak have been hit especially hard.

“The money donated by JK Rowling will go towards our front-line response to the pandemic, helping us to carry on supporting people who are homeless across Great Britain at this very difficult time.”