The Financial Times has raised £3.3m for Sightsavers through its 2011 Christmas Appeal, becoming the newspaper’s most successful appeal to date.

Reader donations raised £2.5m including pound-for-pound match funding from the Department for International Development and Standard Chartered.

A photography auction at London’s Getty Images Gallery and an online auction for dinners with Financial Times writers raised £165,408.

Standard Chartered employees also donated their last hour’s pay for 2011, raising £406,599.

The DfID is also match funding City AM’s appeal which is raising money for Opportunity International. The appeal is due to close in mid February.

Military Wives Choir raises more than £500,000

Meanwhile the Military Wives Choir has raised £503,985 for the Royal British Legion and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association.

The choir beat X Factor winner Little Mix to the Christmas number one top sport in the UK Official Chart, with the song Wherever You Are.

It is now planning to release an album in time for Mother’s Day with proceeds set to go to the Military Wives Foundation, which has been set up to help other choirs on military bases.