Rowling casts a spell that will give charities millions

Lenny Henry will be among Comic Relief stars celebrating

HARRY POTTER is casting a golden spell for the poorest chil - dren on the planet. Two new books written and illustrated by JK Rowling, his creator, are poised to make £22m for the charity Comic Relief. In an unprecedented publi sh - ing coup, 11 m copies of the books, their titles taken from the library shelves of Hogwarts school for young wizards and witches, will go on sale world - wide on March 12. Rowling is giving all her royalties to the charity in what amounts to one of the biggest single donations ever made in Britain. Paper suppliers , printers, wholesalers, distributors and booksellers are all waiving their profits, fees and pay - ments . It means that, for each 64-page book sold for £2.50, at least £2 will go to charity. The amount raised will be on a scale that dwarfs the success of previous Comic Relief publi - cations . A collection of Delia Smith recipes raised £1.2m four years ago.

Rowling s contribution is likely to make up at least half the proceeds from this year's red nose day. The cunning ploy owes much to the imagination of Richard Curtis, the creator of

Rory Godson and Maurice Chittenden Blackadder, who suggested she wrote a short story. Curtis, the co-founder and vice-chairman of Comic Relief, said: "It 's my job to write to everbody and anybody who I think might be able to help us." Little did he know that Rowling was already a donor to Comic Relief in a...