Live 8 lottery triggers ticket text frenzy

MORE THAN a million people sent text messages yesterday in response to Bob Geldof’s call to change the world by backing a star-studded concert to help developing countries.

The Live 8 event in London's Hyde Park next month will feature stars such as U2, Madonna, Robbie Williams and Paul McCartney.

The concert will highlight poverty and debt in developing countries, days before the leaders of the world's richest countries meet in Scotland.

Members of the public can win a pair of tickets to the concert by texting the answer to a question which asks which of three cities Berlin, Moscow or Edinburgh is closest to the site of the G8 summit.

By 5pm yesterday, 1.5 million people had answered Geldof's call, organisers said.

"Bob's delighted. I've just told him and he said, 'It's great'," a spokesman said.

Tens of thousands of entries were recorded in the 10 minutes after the competition was launched at 8am.

Geldof had appeared live on GMTV to appeal to the public to help bring an end to the spectre of "children dying on our television screens".

He said: "It's too great an opportunity to miss and I think we're going to do it."

He added: "Please get on your texts. Go for it! We will, I promise you, tilt this world a little bit on its side."

Mobile phone operator O2 said a further peak was expected late last night after evening news programmes.

Geldof earlier called on the sailing community in Britain to sail across the Channel in support of his campaign to eradicate Third World poverty ahead of this year's G8 Summit.

Speaking at the launch in Southampton, Geldof said: "We are asking people to get into their boats in their thousands and pick up the people of France who wish to participate."

The former Boomtown Rats singer also called on hoteliers, ferry companies and coach owners to offer their services to French visitors for free in support of the Live 8/Long Walk To Justice campaign.

The aim of the campaign is to persuade G8 leaders to eradicate spiralling debt and unfair trade in Africa.

Geldof said: "What we are trying to do is to get the rich world on the move on behalf of those who cannot even crawl."