Record Yield "Serious Request" 2013

DJ's Giel Beelen, Paul Rabbering, and Coen Swijnenberg collected 12,302,747 euros during the tenth edition of the 3FM fundraising campaign, "Serious Request," a record amount.Last year in Enschede the yield was 12,251,667 euros.

The DJs were locked in a Glass House on the Wilhelmina Square in the Frisian capital, Wednesday, and left a little after 21:05 pm on Tuesday. Shortly after, BNN broadcaster and 3FM DJ, Eric Corton, announced the results.

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Beelen, Rabbering, and Swijnenberg engaged in six days of nonstop radio and television broadcasting without eating. The money that was raised this year will be used to combat diarrhea. Every year some 800,000 children succumb to diarrhea worldwide.

Corton complimented his three colleagues, calling the result 'a huge achievement, truly phenomenal, and almost astronomical.'

Beelen , who was locked up for the eighth time, experienced the fasting as every bit as tricky after all these years still. Rabbering complimented the audience for their support of the charitable purpose.

Even though the provisional scores during the first few days were considerably higher than last year, the difference became smaller during the last few days, making for an exiting end to find out whether a new record would be set.

'It's like people expect us to collect more money this year, but the tension is coursing through our bodies as we stand there, because the year will come that we won't make it,' said DJ Swijnenberg Sunday in an interview with NU.nl.

The campaign was a joint initiative with the Red Cross. Starting Tuesday afternoon there were several performances around the Glass House, among which Krystl, Alain Clark, Tim, Knol, Nielson, Caro Emerald, Kensington, De Staat, and Racoon.

Some 17,000 to 18,000 people witnessed the final act of Serious Request in Leeuwarden, reported a spokesperson for the City. The Oldehoofsterkerkhof and the Wilhelmina square were packed out, but not to the point where the public safety was compromised. People were in festive moods, not the least because of the beautiful results according to the spokesperson. The City too, was pleased with the course of events.

Several performances, "Eat, sleep, rave, repeat" from Fatboy Slim and "Tsunami" by DVBBS & Borgeous, had the public jumping up and down with joy, reported the Leeuwarder Courant. Cabinet doors would open by themselves, light fixtures would swing, and Christmas ornaments would rock back and forth in homes along several streets in Leeuwarden. Gerard Ekdoms imitation of "Living Doll" by Cliff Richard and The Young Ones was the favorite however.

In 2014 the Glass House will be in Haarlem.