LONDON, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Through auctions and draws, the UK-China Charity Initiative, initiated by China Chamber of Commerce in the UK (CCCUK) and the City of London, raised funds to support a Chinese poverty alleviation project and charitable projects of the Lord Mayor's Appeal (LMA) of the City of London here Friday.

In an event to celebrate the Chinese lunar Year of the Pig, the UK-China Charity Initiative raised 37,200 pounds (about 48,144 U.S. dollars) through on-site auctions and draws.

Accordingly, half of the funds will be used to support construction of a multifunctional hall which will be used for group training, art performance and distance learning for a rural school in China's Shaanxi Province, and the rest will be used for British charitable projects including child mental health, youth poverty alleviation and suicide intervention.

The event attracted nearly 300 guests from the Chinese and British political and commercial circles to celebrate the Chinese New Year and build a bridge between China and Britain for charity cooperation.

"Charity work helps shorten the distance between two hearts by building a bridge of love. I sincerely hope that the China-UK Charity Initiative will sow the seeds of charity and encourage more people to join in. Through charity, we can spread love, promote cooperation, deepen friendship and build a better world together," said Liu Xiaoming, Chinese Ambassador to the UK, in his speech.

The UK-China Charity Initiative was initiated at the end of 2018 to create a platform for charity with the theme of "Building Harmony Together."

"The CCCUK will always hold social responsibility at the heart of its mission and continue to work with our members to contribute to more charitable projects in both the UK and China," said Fang Wenjian, Chairman of the CCCUK, adding that "by joining force with the LMA, we are committed to ensuring the success of the UK-China Charity Initiative for many years to come."