Dermot O'Leary says 'give it up!' this Lent

Chucking the Chocolates and bottling the booze are some of the things we aim to give up over 40 days of Lent. Aid agency CAFOD is sending out a rallying call to millions of people in England and Wales to "give it up!" during the period of repentance and reflection, which began yesterday.

The Catholic agency's fundraiser, 'Give it up!' asks people to give up something they enjoy and to donate the money saved to support its work in transforming the lives of people in the developing world.

X-Factor host and life long supporter of the charity, Dermot O'leary is backing the 'give it up!' fundraiser.

"It's so easy to get involved in 'give it up!' - Just think of something you can live without - your morning Latte, evening pint or weekly magazine and think of the massive difference you could make to someone else's life," he said.

This year CAFOD celebrates 50 years of Lent Fast Day, which has raised over £65million towards healthcare, education, and justice projects, and transforming the ordinary lives of people by helping them working their way out of poverty in the developing world.

CAFOD's Head of Community Fundraising Sophie Stanes said: "The money raised from CAFOD Lent Fast Day has transformed the lives of millions of people living in poor communities from Bolivia to Bangladesh, Nigeria to Nicaragua. Despite CAFOD's achievements to date, we have a lot further to go. This Lent Fast Day the message is very simple: 'give it up!'

"Traditionally people give up sweets, chocolate, or biscuits, but you can give up anything! We hope that 'give it up! will inspire and motivate people across the country to bring about a more just world."