Page 199 - James Caan - The Real Deal

19 · An Amazing Day

important to us in the City, it’s the oldest hospital in London, it’s
vital for the capital and we shouldn’t let this happen. We’re really
committed to doing this today: what can you donate?’
By 10 a.m. there was an LBC van parked outside our office: they
wanted an update for the next bulletin. By 11 a.m. it had been
joined by a van from Capital Radio. It seemed as if the whole of
London wanted to know if we were going to raise the money by
the end of the day.
‘We’re crossing over live to the offices of Alexander Mann where
the race is on to save Barts’ A&E unit. What’s the latest?’
‘They’re up another £3000 and I’ve got the chief executive
James Caan here with me now. Do you think you’ll make the total,
James . . .?’
I didn’t realise it at the time, but the publicity we were getting
was phenomenal. Every half-hour our company was on the news,
and everything they were saying about us was positive. I spent the
rest of the day with about three microphones shoved in front of
me at any one time as journalists from newspapers and other
broadcasters turned up. Then a camera crew arrived and we were
on the local London lunchtime news on BBC1. I said to one of the
journalists: ‘You couldn’t give out our phone number, could you?’
And once the media started doing that, members of the public
started calling up and making donations.
As the bids came in I became a little concerned that members of
the public were pledging money that they would never send in.
Barts needed the money immediately and, while I was happy to
write the cheque to cover the pledges, I wanted to know that the
public’s money would actually arrive. So I called one of the courier
companies we used and asked them to donate their services in lieu
of a donation and they agreed to collect cheques for us.
The atmosphere in the office that day was unbelievable, and as
the total started to creep up we began to believe that we really
might manage it. By lunchtime more than £20,000 had been

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