BBC Children in Need Feed

Rob’s Helping Hands

2014-10-01T08:35:52+00:00

When an accident left fitness fanatic Rob Groves a paraplegic, he had to come to terms with a whole new way of life. Now he’s cycling from Edinburgh to London to raise money for BBC Children in Need – using just his hands!

Handcycling

Hero Rob will start his epic challenge at BBC Edinburgh in Midlothian on 9 November, and will hand-cycle for six days – sometimes overnight - to reach London.

The 414mile journey is the culmination of two years of intense training for 57-year-old Rob, who hopes to inspire others to challenge themselves with his fantastic feat. “Finishing this ride will definitely be the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” says Rob. “But it’s not about me, it’s about raising funds for BBC Children in Need and sending a positive message to anyone who’s lacking inspiration - to tell them they can achieve anything they put their minds to.”

All Heroes get nervous from time to time and Rob admits he feels a little apprehensive as he counts down to the intense physical challenge. But when raising just £5 means a 5-year-old boy in hospital and anxious about his treatment can giggle and laugh at a magical entertainer, nerves disappear.

And he has plenty of motivation to keep him going - not only does he have a support vehicle and a motor home of helpers travelling alongside him, but he also has the stories of the many less fortunate children he met during his recovery to spur him on.

“Since becoming a paraplegic, I have met so many children who were born with a disability,” he explains. “I met a 14-year-old girl recently while I was out raising awareness about spinal injuries and she said to me: ‘You don’t know how lucky you are - I’ve never walked.’”

Before the accident that changed his life eight years ago, our Hero Rob was a fitness instructor with his own health club and was passionate about keeping fit.

“Afterwards I ballooned to 17 and a half stone,” he recalls. “I went into a dark place and I wouldn’t go out, nor accept a wheelchair. I was desperate to get my mojo back and knew that something had to change.”

In need of inspiration, it was only when the qualified nutritionist was watching the 2012 Paralympics that he was finally encouraged to start training again – and he decided to give hand-cycling a try.

Rob heroically threw himself into training and slowly began to get back into shape.

“I have been training solidly for two years to get ready for this,” says true superhero Rob. “Five times each week and for three hours at a time, I lift weights and use a crank cycle to build up my strength and stamina. I also regularly go out and cycle to prepare myself for the challenges of the open road. I’m currently able to cover at least 14 miles an hour.”

Back on track and with his strength returning, Rob was quick to turn his attention to helping others through raising money – something he was no stranger to in the years before his accident. “I used to do a lot of fundraising and I was keen to take it up again,” he says.

Rob chose to raise money for BBC Children in Need after seeing how the projects we fund can truly make a difference. “A friend’s child recently died of leukemia and another friend’s baby died at birth from a brain haemorrhage,” Rob explains. “I know that BBC Children in Need helps both the family as well as those who suffer from these terrible illnesses.”

Rob’s six-day challenge will see him pass through BBC studios in Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and Oxford before he arrives to a Hero’s welcome at BBC Broadcasting House in London. Pudsey himself will be there to congratulate the champion!

“At least I have experienced being an able-bodied person,” says Rob. “It’s that thought that spurs me on every day.”

Our Hero Rob is undertaking an epic challenge for BBC Children in Need. But no matter how big or small your idea, fundraising for us makes you a true Hero. Just £1 could prevent a child from going hungry at breakfast time for a week.

Sign up to the brand new BBC Children in Need Fundraising Hero Hub for exclusive news, fundraising tools and tips that will help get your heroic activities off to a flying start.

To keep updated on Rob’s progress check out his fundraising page.

Happy Easter from Toby, Lucas and Stamford

2014-04-17T10:25:27+00:00

Toby, Lucas and Stamford are getting into the Easter spirit by colouring in Easter eggs! For these children though, it’s not just about having fun. All three have cerebral palsy, a condition affecting the part of the brain that controls muscle movement. By learning to hold the pencils correctly and colouring within the lines, they are also developing crucial co-ordination skills.

Toby with his mum Pippa

They all go to The London Centre for Children with Cerebral Palsy in Muswell Hill, a specialist centre for children with cerebral palsy which is supported by BBC Children in Need. It’s open every day for families to come along and take part in free tailored sessions, helping children to reach their potential.

Toby is five and has been attending sessions at the Centre for three years. When he first started going, things were really hard for him. As a toddler, he had been developing perfectly until an accident left him with severe brain injury. He was in hospital for a long time and doctors said he’d never walk or talk again. He had little functionality and couldn’t even swallow. But Toby’s been slowly proving the doctors wrong. Incredibly, he started talking last year and his mum Pippa is overjoyed to be able to have a conversation with him. He’s also on his feet and walking unaided, something Pippa never thought she’d see.

Lucas and his mum Anne

Lucas is four and started going to the Centre last October. Since then, he’s learnt to walk on his own and his speech has improved. When he was asked at nursery what he most enjoys doing, he replied: “When mum picks me up and takes me to Muswell Hill”, meaning the Centre. He goes there to play, make new friends and, crucially, become more independent.

Stamford and Kata, a conductor funded by BBC Children in Need

Three-year-old Stamford is a Chelsea-mad football fan and has been going to the Centre for most of his life. He was born with cerebral palsy and has been attending sessions since he was only one years old. He has made fantastic progress, after being told by doctors he would never walk. He’s gone from shuffling around on his bottom to walking unaided. And he never stops smiling! Despite being visually impaired and having limited speech, he can still name every single player in Chelsea football club!

Thanks to your fundraising efforts and generous donations, we’ve been able to help children like Toby, Lucas and Stamford. Find out more about the projects we fund in your area, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news.

Who You Help: Sufyan and MG

2014-03-19T14:45:00+00:00

Less than a year ago, Sufyan was like any other 12-year-old boy. He loved playing sport, especially football and rugby, liked hanging out with his mates and was looking forward to being a teenager getting up to trouble! Then very unexpectedly, his life began to unravel.

In the middle of 2013 Sufyan, who lives with his family in East London, began to have muscle aches which his mum Julie put down to growing pains typical for a boy his age.

She recalls: “By October Sufyan was falling over inexplicably and was always tired. Back and forth we took him to the doctors but it was a mystery. He stopped making the sports practices that he loved and even doing up shirt buttons had become a challenge! I was worried and beginning to suspect that he was being bullied and trying to avoid school.”

After a particularly bad fall on the way to school an ambulance was called and it was the neurological doctors at the hospital who first suggested that Sufyan might be suffering from Myasthenia Gravis.

Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is an auto immune disease that is rare in children effecting 1 in every 100,000. It causes muscle weakening across the body though can be different in each case and fluctuate wildly. Siblings, parents, social work staff and school staff are therefore often not able to grasp the seriousness of the disease and think that the child (or the mother) is making it up.

In January 2014 Sufyan was diagnosed with MG which was both a shock and a relief to him and his family.

Sufyan says: “I’m still taking it all in. On a good day I will be able to do some sports and feel normal. On a bad day my eyes and head droops and my body fails me, it won’t move fast enough. It’s like an energy suck. I feel useless and don’t see the point in doing homework or planning for the future. I never know when it’s going to hit me and I get embarrassed.”

The family recently had their first appointment at Great Ormond Street Hospital where doctors there were finally able to explain the disease and its treatment. Julie hit the search engines and discovered the Myasthenia Gravis Association (MGA) which offers an excellent virtual and telephone support network.

Part funded by BBC Children in Need the MGA run an annual weekend for children and young people with Myasthenia Gravis and Congenital Myasthenia Syndrome. Both of these diseases are extremely isolating and misunderstood. The weekends are an opportunity for children, siblings and parents to meet other families going through the same challenges. There is a packed timetable of activities and all about developing friendships and support bonds with real life families rather than medical professionals.

Rita Goldthorp who works for the MGA says the weekends have a dramatic effect on families.

“The difference having the funds from BBC Children in Need and other very generous trusts and individuals really has to be seen to be believed. The children have made friends and the recognition as people arrive on the Friday evening makes their faces light up and after a few minutes it’s as though they met only yesterday. Being with people who understand that yes I want to go for a swim and then after 5-10 minutes I can’t swim any more my energy has gone is a perfectly normal everyday occurrence and not a child who is being difficult or “silly”. You are believed and this for a child is like waving a magic wand – and yes, we do have a magician who comes along to do some tricks!”

The doctors are keen to get Sufyan back into his football boots but need to get his medication right first. In light of his physical body failing him Sufyan turns his talents to a more cerebral outlet. An avid writer, he has composed a new poem to explain what it’s like living with Myasthenia Gravis.

A poem by Sufyan:

As I walk down the road I start to get weak, my tongue gets heavy as I try to speak.

I have to stop and wait, I need to tell mum I'll be late.

I can’t even lift the phone to my face , how am I going to call her? my heart starts to race.

I sit down and take my medication, I need to relax , I need to be patient.

Anger, frustration, I don't know how to cope but in my mind there still is hope.

Even though, right now it's a dream I know that one day I will be fit, rich and have self-esteem.

Sufyan and his family are now looking forward to the MGA weekend in June 2014.

Who You Help: Chickenshed

2014-03-17T11:45:34+00:00

In 1974 musician and composer Jo Collins met Mary Ward, a teacher and director. With an inclusive approach they both believed in sharing the creativity in everyone and anyone so they started a theatre company in the only building they had access to at the time - a lowly chicken shed.

Part funded by BBC Children in Need, 2014 is the theatre's 40th Festival Year and celebrations have already started with a new show which is ruffling plenty of feathers.

An Awfully Big Performance takes audiences on a journey to celebrate the inclusive theatre's past, present and future. Expect snapshots of dance, music, song and drama from an exceptional cast of diverse performers such as sisters Ophir and Noa:

Orphir (left) in An Awfully Big Performance

“My name is Ophir and I am 18 years old. I have been part of Chickenshed since I was a baby. I first came to ‘Tales for the Shed’ and then joined the Children's Theatre, so about 17 years - that’s all my life! In this show I have worked with Robin, Emma, Louise and Georgie. They are passionate, inspiring and understanding. I've learnt from them how to push on and boost my confidence. The best bit of this show is my duet with my sister Noa. It makes me feel so special.”

Based in north London, Chickenshed has been working with socially excluded groups for the last 4 decades. Still true to their all-embracing original ethos, the theatre now have at least 600 children on their books, many of whom face significant social or financial hardship or have recognised additional needs.

Noa (middle) in An Awfully Big Performance

“My name is Noa and I am 12. I have been part of the theatre company for six years which is half my life! For an Awfully Big Performance I have been working with Louise, Lauren and Georgie. I would describe them as supportive, determined and helpful. I have learnt that they are great teachers and put a lot of effort and time into Chickenshed to make it a great place and to make the show the best it can be. The best bit about the show is the people you meet, the friends you make and the feel of the community and love amongst the people. I love the feeling you have being on stage.”

The theatre has seen incredible success over the last 40 years and helped many young people to increase their confidence and creativity, form deeper and more trustful relationships plus find an independence and ambition they never knew they had! No wonder there is a waiting list of more than 1000 people.

To see Ophir and Noa performing on stage head to the Chickenshed website as the run ends on Sunday 23 March and tickets are selling fast!

Who You Help: The Urban Hope Youth Project

2014-01-31T11:05:29+00:00

As Poverty and Homelessness Awareness Week comes to a close, we look at Urban Hope, a vibrant youth project based at St Stephen's Church in North London. The project runs after school activities for girls aged 11-18 from low-income families who are socially excluded in Islington.

Many of these young women live in poverty and have little or no personal support or a reduced access to life opportunities. This project is also an extremely crucial service for some women who are experiencing extreme crisis and/or hardship, unplanned pregnancy, homelessness and domestic violence.

Urban Hope runs a girls club for 10-13 year olds, focusing on the development of identity and participation in the wider community. For those slightly older there are confidence and self-esteem courses. Workshops and courses cover a range of themes such as healthy living, beauty therapy, substance misuse, CV writing and cookery. Young women are also offered mentoring, advice, advocacy and crisis support on a one-to-one basis and in small group settings.

The Urban Hope Youth Project

BBC Children in Need directly funds female youth worker Joy Faulkner who describes the young people she supports:

“Some girls come because they’re bored; their parents work long hours and are not around. There’s not a lot of money and not many opportunities. There can be issues with boys trying to control young women in local gangs. We’ve had some fantastic success stories – one girl Abbie was pregnant at 16 but was picked to be an apprentice chef for one of Jamie Oliver’s restaurants. Another young person Jermaine is a now full time dancer- we see him on the X Factor!"

Chloe, 15 talks about the support she’s received from Urban Hope over the years and the inspiration behind her short story ‘Life Isn’t Me.’

Chloe

"I think I've been coming to Urban Hope about 5 years. I got a leaflet about it in my letterbox. Me and my friends invited my cousin too and we've all be coming since. At Urban Hope I mostly talk a lot!! Recently I recorded a song with one of the youth workers. When I come to Urban Hope I’m normally cooking or on the computer or like mucking about with friends on the pool table or ping pong or other activities.

I think I've changed I’m more mature and I think I’m a better person because when I was little whenever anyone upset me I would say ‘you’re not my friend’ even if they only did one thing wrong. Now I’m a much more forgiving person and I don’t hold grudges against anyone. I get to hang out with mature people that make good choices and obviously that's really helped.

Life Isn’t Me is about a girl running away from home because she doesn't like the life that she lives. At home it’s just her and her mum so when she runs away she’s got nowhere to go. While she’s on her 'adventure’ she meets a boy called Nathan. He ran away from home but he could never go back and he encourages her to go back home.
I wrote it because at one point in my life I wanted to get away from it all. There was loads of stress and everything was going on in my head. I just wanted to run away but couldn’t find it in myself to do it…so I wrote a character to do it for me! The story says don’t make choices you might regret, sometimes stuff’s hard but running away isn’t the answer.

I’ve never really thought about writing as a career, Life Isn't Me was something I started cos I was bored in a class and I enjoyed it so I carried it on till it was finished. I really want to do something creative, maybe in art, I love drawing."

Find out more about the Urban Hope Youth Project.

Who You Help: New Horizons Youth Centre

2014-01-29T13:04:10+00:00

We are halfway through Poverty and Homelessness Awareness Week and continuing to look at the work done by organisations to help vulnerable young people who are dealing with issues around homelessness. New Horizon Youth Centre is a youth crisis centre in Chalton Street, Camden, London. They see up to 3000 young people a year and are open 7 days a week. Kids turn up hungry, homeless and with serious life traumas.

The centre has been awarded several grants from BBC Children in Need since 1999 with the latest one focusing on late afternoon activities for vulnerable teenagers facing issues around homelessness, leaving care and youth offending. The Positive Futures Youth Programme catches many of the teens that have rocked up to the centre during the day and is split into a Young Men’s and Young Women’s Group. Sessions are informal and include sport and trips, anger management, cooking on a budget, sexual exploitation awareness and the criminal justice system.

Teenagers might come through the crisis doors having lost their way but after a CV workshop, cooking class, a chat with the nurse and counselling plan they leave with a bit more hope and a realistic plan – not to mention a mean recipe for chocolate brownies.

Janet from New Horizons Youth Centre

Janet Matthews supports both the crisis centre drop-ins and the regulars to get them the right benefits, develop their CVs and let young people know about job fairs and opportunities. She asked one young person, Annalise* 18, to describe her first week at New Horizon Youth Centre.

Monday:
It was a bitter cold September morning and I stood with about 10 others outside the centre. No eye contact, I just kept my head down. It didn’t open for another hour but sleeping rough means I’m up early. Last night it was the back of the local supermarket. I crawled behind the bins, out of sight where it was quiet and there was some heat coming from the ventilators. I’ve never been alone like this and I’m scared.
The doors opened and everyone went in. I got a tour of the centre from Janet and she gave me a coat and gloves plus a hot drink. There was so much going on I was confused but my fingers were thawing and I was ok to just sit and watch.
I was embarrassed to talk about what’s going on but I tried…family problems, they don’t want me staying on in college because my family say I need to get a job to help pay the bills, kicked me out the house…police found me sleeping rough and told me about the centre.
The Housing Team found me a place to stay for a few nights, with a host family from the local area. Janet told me to come back tomorrow morning and gave me some bus tickets so I’m not heading back to the supermarket.

Tuesday:
Today was hard. I had to talk to a counsellor, about how I don’t care about things and sometimes think about harming myself. About feeling alone and missing my family. I had a go at knitting with one of the ‘knitting grannies,’ I wasn’t very good.

Wednesday:
I didn’t feel like coming today. The self defence workshop was good. I hadn’t really thought about what might happen, sleeping rough. I met Evie who has been coming here for a month as she ran away from her home in Leeds. She was having family problems and misses her brothers and sisters too.
At the end of the day Housing came with news that they have got me a bed in a shelter for six weeks. I left the centre feeling like things weren’t so bad.

Thursday:
Today we had a session, that’s for people like me who aren’t in college and haven’t got a job. It was a surprise to write down all the things I HAVE done, focus on the positive. I’m going to come to the NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) classes next week and as I’m interested in events Janet’s going to look for some apprenticeships for me. There is so much out there that I didn’t know about.

Friday:
Cooking today which was chocolate brownies and I helped serve at the pop up crepe stall outside in the market which was funny. Then I did the women’s group session which was about conflict and how to deal with things.

A month later and Janet tells me that Annalise* is now housed in a long term hostel, she is attending weekly sessions with the counsellor, and just recently secured an apprenticeship with Camden for events management. Her mental stability has improved and she continues to come to the centre for support. On her experience at New Horizon Annalise* said:

‘I do not know where I would have been without New Horizons I really believe they saved my life, I am still lonely without my family but can come back here for company and I think I am going to be alright’.
*Not her real name

Janet reported that at least 200 young people come through the doors a week and it’s usually more. I asked her why she does this job and what keeps her motivated:

‘I work with the hardest to reach young people to source education and employment opportunities, doing this job is an honour and a privilege as I get to witness change on a daily basis and always get what I call "goose bump moments" watching young people turn their lives around with my support. I am passionate about young people being given every possible chance to succeed. A quote I once heard and sincerely believe in is do a job you truly love and you will never have to work a day in your life!’

Find out more about the New Horizon Youth Centre here.

Charlie's Army Blog

2014-01-14T15:54:20+00:00

In September 2013 BBC Children in Need were excited to be contacted by the team working with Radio 1Xtra DJ Charlie Sloth.They were looking to recruit some young people to take part in work experience at this year’s 1Xtra Live events in London, Bournemouth, Liverpool and Leeds.

1Xtra's Charlie Sloth

After careful consideration, 14 BBC Children in Need advocates joined ‘Charlie’s Army’ as trainees to work with 1Xtra and their BBC Local Radio stations to get experience developing on-air content, working with talent and shadowing the team during the live events.

The SPID Theatre Company, based in Ladbroke Grove, London, is one of the organisations which put forward some of their young people to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity. SPID provide training in all aspects of theatre production to young people living on local inner city estates. ‘Gangs on Stage’ is their successful, long-running project which has been funded by BBC Children in Need since 2010.

This funding has supported uplifiting youth shows like Team Spirit - which premiered during the London Riots - and Passersby, a rework of the Good Samaritan story. SPID works a lot with teenagers from the North Kensington council estates with some referrals coming via the Young Offenders’ Team or the police. Gang culture, poverty, boredom and underachieving can be a part of these young people’s lives. Thanks to your donations to BBC Children in Need, SPID is able to teach teenagers how to turn personal stories into theatre work that they can proudly perform to their friends and family!Developing new writing, acting and design skills is fantastic for the teenager’s self-esteem and artistic expression not to mention improving their education and employment prospects. The project also promotes integration with the young people interviewing older residents about their own lives on the estate. The young people are encouraged to think about a sense of community and feel more part of local life. Currently they are creating a youth show called Kensal Voices, about the history of the Grade II* listed Kensal House council estate.

Lakeisha and Trisha from Charlie's Army

Trisha Soares, joined SPID in August and is now a project ambassador supporting the under 18s who come to the theatre workshops. For Trisha, the placement was more than just an exhilarating ride as she recounts:

‘Based at the iconic BBC headquarters in London, each session of the traineeship was focused on the principle of learning by doing. Amateurs and girl-Fridays? Not us. In the short span of 3 weeks, we were DJs, producers, marketers, writers – the list is endless. The project provided hands –on experience in every sense of the word, from the chance to play DJ on-air to conducting live interviews on the streets of London using professional recording equipment for our personally developed production packages.

There are no words that truly capture the essence of the experience as a BBC Radio 1 trainee. While the project has undoubtedly moulded me into a little more of the career woman I aspire to be, in pushing me to think creatively, instilling the importance of effective teamwork, and teaching me to contribute, and excel in a high pressure environment, the experience would not be the same if not shared with the other unique and talented individuals of ‘Charlie’s Army’. I take with me not just an invaluable learning experience, but a wholehearted memory.’

Lakeisha Lynch-Stevens, has been part of SPID for three years, taking an active role in drama and creative writing workshops culminating in shows at Kensal House and other venues. At her placement Lakeisha learnt a lot about the creative process, with all its ups and downs:

‘Split off into groups, we were asked to make Production Packages on a subject of our choice centred on London and geared towards interesting a BBC Radio 1Xtra audience. I was given the role of the scriptwriter, which meant I wrote up the links the presenter would say in between interviews alongside intros and outros. I also followed the presenter, sound recordist and broadcast assistant around, jotting down any parts of their interviews with people that particularly struck me as interesting.

For the Red Button 1Xtra Live Show, I was based in the TV Gallery where all the live editing was going on. I was responsible for writing interesting tweets down onto BBC cards and running down to the TV Studio to pass them on for Charlie. I loved the responsibility within such a fast-paced environment, especially when a little technical difficulty took us back to Charlie’s screen quicker than I thought, pushing me into doing a careful sprint round.

1Xtra Live

I’ve walked away with an eye for how the energy of something can be captured and translated onto screen and invaluable radio production training. I felt really inspired by the work, advice, friendly words exchanged, but mostly how calm and together everyone was. Naturals. Thanks!’

Thank you for supporting BBC Children in Need so we can fund projects at organisations like SPID that help young people like Lakeisha and Trisha. Click here to find out more about the work that SPID does.

The heroes of 2013

2013-12-13T17:02:12+00:00

It’s nearly Christmas, and of course that means that it’s nearly New Year! As we keep moving ever closer to what promises to be a very exciting 2014, we can’t help but take the opportunity to have a few little glances back at some of the great stuff that happened over the past year. There's been some true heroes this year, so let's take a look!

First up, a belated thank you to staff and pupils from Keir Hardie Memorial Primary & Nursery Class in Newarthill who raised a very heroic £370 in November by coming to school in their pyjamas! They may have been wearing pyjamas and onesies, but there weren’t any sleepy faces in class as the whole school celebrated BBC Children in Need and really got in the fundraising spirit.

Daniel, from the Woking branch of Natwest, got in touch to proudly tell us about his team’s fundraising accomplishments. Having an Pudsey-themed cake sale, the team really managed to ‘raise the dough’, bringing in a whopping £839.19. They must have been some pretty epic cakes! Daniel wants us to say a huge thanks to his team, and a huge thank you to his customers who helped to make the day such a huge success through their generosity. A huge well done to everyone on the team from us, you’ve raised a huge amount of money that will make a real difference to disadvantaged children and young people all over the UK.

The team at Natwest in Woking flex their baking muscles and bring in the money!

Francesca from Countrywide Corporate in Bracknell asked us to give a shout out to her colleagues, who organised a teddy bear’s pyjama-picnic and raised £721.24! We couldn’t resist giving the team a little mention when we saw the photo, which is not only full of keen fundraisers, but also has some surprise celebrity appearances from Marilyn Monroe, Cinderella and Bruce Springsteen (albeit on a t-shirt). The team look great in their Pudsey ears and we hope you’re all very proud of your ace fundraising!

Countrywide Corporate in Bracknell had a great time fundraising.

Another big thank you is due to Brian Atkins and his Alaskan Malamute dog, Shadow. The fundraising pair took to the streets of Leamington Spa in the hopes of raising some money for Pudsey, and they did very well indeed, collecting £300 on one day alone! As Brian himself admits, it’s shadow that does most of the work – he has people lining up to give a small donation to stroke him, pat him and play with him. That's our kind of dog! At BBC Children in Need we've already got one animal mascot (the irreplaceable Pudsey), but if the big yellow Bear ever wants to take a break from the spotlight, we might give Shadow a call to keep the fundraising on track!

A couple of final shout-outs before we go – a big Pudsey high-five to Cradlehall Primary School in Inverness, who had a ‘bad hair day’ and a visit from Pudsey, and raised a £414.13, and another huge well done to Loretto Junior School staff who recorded a staff charity CD to sell to staff, pupils and parents, and raised nearly £1000! Both a great examples of terrific, fun and inventive fundraising!

We still want to hear your stories! To get in touch and tell us about all your fundraising, simply email your local address on this page, and tag us @BBCCiN on Twitter and Instagram or @Pudsey Bear on Facebook. It’s easy. So go, help us celebrate your decision to #BeAHero!

HMRC fundraising hero visits ChildLine

2013-11-25T15:09:46+00:00

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff are big supporters of BBC Children in Need. Last year people across the department dug deep into their pockets and organised dozens of fundraising events in their own time, raising more than £100,000 from offices across the country.

As well as staff fundraising, the department also contributes to the grand total by opening some of its call centres and providing volunteers to take donations, in their own time, on BBC Children in Need Appeal Night.

BBC Children in Need supporters from HMRC, were keen to find out where the money they raise goes and were pleased when BBC Children in Need offered one fundraiser the chance to visit the ChildLine office in London.

ChildLine provides free and confidential advice to children and young people up to the age of 19 on a range of issues. This year, ChildLine was awarded a three-year grant of £500,000 from BBC Children in Need.

HMRC fundraiser, Jo Sculley visited the ChildLine offices in London

To show how important this funding is ChildLine opened its doors to HMRC fundraiser Jo Sculley for the day. Here Jo tells us more.

“As a keen fundraiser for BBC Children in Need I jumped at the chance to find out where some of the money we raise goes. I spoke to staff about their work and the service, and found out that these days it’s more than just a phone line. Children can call or join conversations on an internet chat room to ask for help, or use social media such as Facebook for information. The calls and online contacts are answered by teams at one of ChildLine’s ten regional centres. Staff and counsellors talked about the real problems young people are facing; they deal with everything from online bullying to low self-esteem and difficult family relationships.

Most of the contacts are handled by volunteer counsellors who have six months of training before answering any queries. Volunteers say it’s important to give affected children and young adults ‘free space’ to be able to talk about their problems to someone who will listen. This hopefully gives them the confidence to take the next steps.

The grant from BBC Children in Need will help to make sure that the phones are answered and online services are managed during peak times - such as late evenings and towards the end of the week - providing a service when users need it most.

This lovely picture hangs in the ChildLine office

For me, it’s great to know that the money HMRC staff raise for BBC Children in Need is helping to make a real difference to the lives of thousands of children and young people through services like ChildLine.”

Thank you to all our fundraising heroes!

2013-11-22T14:27:52+00:00

Here at Pudsey HQ we’ve had a little bit of a celebratory week - last Friday our cracking Appeal Show saw us raise a record-breaking £31.1 million – a remarkable amount that we couldn’t have reached without the support of fundraising heroes from all over the UK. Not only were we honoured to see such a wide variety of fundraising activities, we saw all these wonderful activities translate into a remarkable on-the-night total. It'll make an unspeakably huge difference to the lives of thousands of children and young people all over the UK, and right where you live. So, on a celebratory note, let’s take a quick look at what a select few of our fundraising heroes got up to last week.

Firstly, a great big THANK YOU to the wonderful students in the LEAP group at Crosby High in Liverpool. These brave warriors took to their bikes to battle against the elements in a fundraising bike ride! The battle wasn’t in vain – the rocking riders raised a wonderful £300! Crosby High teacher Lesley Hall got in touch to say just how proud she was of her heroic students!

As you may know, our biggest fundraising theme this year is ‘heroes’, and we’ve been asking all our supporters to get out there and prove themselves heroes in the name of Pudsey Bear! Our next shout out goes to a group of teachers who took this theme to the max! Staff at Galliard Primary School in London asked all the whole school to dress up as something starting with the letter ‘P’. We bet the pupils at the school were delighted in the morning when instead of being greeted by their familiar teachers, they were instead greeted by a group of rather nifty fundraising Power Rangers, presumably taking a day off from fighting intergalactic monsters to focus instead on tackling unruly classrooms! The group proved to be heroes indeed, raising an astonishing £671.00 for BBC Children in Need, and they evidently had a cracking time doing it. A big thanks to Luke Dedman (the everyday alias of the Red Ranger!) for sending in the below photo.

Staff at Galliard Primary School get set for a day of epic fundraising!

Another brilliant group of fundraisers which illustrate nicely just how varied the groups we received support from this year truly were, are the The Screaming Eagles Living History Group are a collective of history enthusiasts. The group attempts to utilise their historical knowledge to accurately portray the events surrounding the 101st Airborne Division of World War 2. Each year the Eagles raise money for a chosen charity by walking the training routes of the US airborne, located in Aldbourne.

This year the walk was a great success, with a number of enthusiasts coming out to walk the route dressed in full combat gear! Alongside these, veterans from the original 101st airborne division had come over the USA to lend support! It was quite a wet and soggy day but the determined fundraisers from the 101st Airborne Division marched on regardless and kept their spirits up! Pudsey himself even got involved, learning how to march like a true soldier! At the end of the day, after everyone was warm and dry, it was agreed all involved had a wonderful time, and what’s more, quite a lot of pennies were raised for Pudsey, too – over £3,000!

Pudsey gets in line with The Screaming Eagles!

Our last hero comes from within our own rank of troops – the BBC! Chris Yanda, based in our BBC offices in Salford, made a very unusual proposal this year in an attempt to bring in the big bucks for the Bear. Chris promised to cycle one kilometre for each pound he raised for BBC Children in Need. There’s nothing that unusual about that, you may be thinking, but here comes the fundraising masterstroke – Chris vowed to cycle each mile in a tutu! If you’ve been recently bewildered by a Tutu-clad cyclist zipping around Manchester, then this just might explain it! You can check out pictures of Chris’ adventure on his Justgiving page, and why not donate a few more pounds to see him go even further? Thanks for all your support Chris!

That’s it for this week’s round-up, we’ll be back next week to celebrate some more of our glorious fundraising heroes who have helped to make this year such a success. If you’d like a mention, we'd love you to get in touch and tell us about all your fundraising. Simply email your local address on this page, and tag us @BBCCiN on Twitter and Instagram or @Pudsey Bear on Facebook. It’s easy. So go, help us celebrate your decision to #BeAHero!

Tommy meets the Tigers

2013-11-14T12:25:49+00:00

I’m fairly street. Well, I think I am? I definitely used to be! You have to be fairly street-smart to get by where I’m from.

Watch Tommy visit the London Tigers

I was raised in East London where drugs and crime surrounded my childhood. Our family home has been burgled seven or eight times, cars broken into and I’ve got a collection of stories about physical and verbal abuse we got on the streets. The people behind all this were young guys… in their teens! Why didn’t I get involved in that crime? I was lucky I guess. I wanted to be different. I joined a basketball club, acted in local drama productions and got into DJing. All of which led me to want to do a degree. But, what if you didn’t have anything else to take you away from bad company? That’s where the London Tigers come in.

I went down to hang out with them one evening. They’re a group dedicated to helping young adults and teenagers from underprivileged areas stay away from crime and drugs on the street. Surprisingly, they’re based in one the most underprivileged areas in the capital: Westminster. It doesn’t sound very “underprivileged” as it’s known to be one of the poshest areas in London! However, we shouldn’t be fooled by what we know about an area, we need to look into what we don’t know about the youth in these areas.

I watched a brilliant film they had made about the dangers of street crime and gangs

Mez, the CEO and founder of the London Tigers was the first to fill me in on the work they do, the challenges they face and his entrepreneurial approach to developing the charity. His office at the community centre is filled with football trophies. It was the love for the great game which brought the kids together. The standard is now so high that the London Tigers have a semi-professional team and are looking into developing their own stadium.

All this came from a charity who were helping young people stay out of trouble. They give them somewhere to come and feel safe, be respected and even somewhere to do their homework. When there, they are supported by inspirational figures such as Jawar (the community centre Project worker) who’s passion and love for the guys is obvious. Jawar told me that the young guys who attend need to feel safe, have fun, get advice and support and make new friends. They can get involved with making their own drama plays, dance productions, even film and edit these too. Jawar’s post is funded by Children In Need and the work he does saves lives, builds futures and creates a fun filled youth. How can you put a price on that?

Here's me with the centre's street dance crew

Hearing stories from the young guys and realising how different life would be for them if they didn’t have this time with the London Tigers is just shocking. In the centre of London, postcode gangs are rife. These young teens are easy prey for bad company and start a life of crime, that can lead to prison or death.

The funny thing is, these youngsters aint “bad boys” or “wannabe gangsters”… they’re incredibly sweet, kind hearted and welcoming individuals who live in an area which wants to kill their potential and takeaway their opportunities. Without the money from Children In Need, Jawar’s post could not be funded. Without his essential work, the young guys would not have anyone to turn to and no doubt fall into the street world.

The London Tigers have expanded to Southhall and Ilford to tap into communities of Asians, Somalians and other minority groups who need a help to stay out of trouble. Their doors are open to anyone.

By donating to Children In Need, you support groups like the London Tigers, that take young lads and put their minds to use. For a few pounds, we can all help to inspire a young mind and help make our local area safer.

Rocks returns!

2013-09-26T08:52:58+00:00

Gary Barlow launches two BBC Children in Need star-studded concerts!

Gary Barlow has excelled once again in bringing together some of the biggest names in the music industry to play at this year’s BBC Children in Need Rocks concerts!

The world class line-up set to perform at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith so far includes:

On Tuesday 12 November…

Robbie Williams

Dizzee Rascal

Little Mix

And on Wednesday 13 November

Ellie Goulding

Rizzle Kicks

Bastille

Passenger

Further names will also be confirmed in coming weeks and there will also be some surprise legendary artists appearing on the night! We can barely contain ourselves!

Chris Evans and Fearne Cotton will host both nights, which will be combined into one TV programme for broadcast on BBC One and BBC One HD. Chris says “I am honoured to be hosting the Rocks concerts alongside Fearne. Gary certainly knows how to put on a show, so I think guests and viewers will be in for a very special couple of evenings, a real treat!”

Gary Barlow added “I’m very excited that these incredible artists are giving their time for a special Charity that is close to my heart. This year, BBC Children in Need Rocks is going to be bigger and better than ever, doing not one, but two concerts. There are still some great acts we're keeping up our sleeve to announce in the coming weeks and there will be a couple of surprise moments on stage as well. And who knows, I might even get up on stage too.”

Tickets are on sale from 9am today and are priced £100, £75, and £50.

For more details on Rocks including how to buy tickets, visit the Rocks event page.

Literacy Day - Waltham Forest Dyslexia Association

2013-09-07T18:38:50+00:00

Sunday 8 September is International Literacy Day, aiming to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals. Thanks to your support, we're able to help young people like Alisha, who has dyslexia.

Many of us struggle at school in different ways, but for children with learning difficulties, the “best years of their lives” can be particularly challenging. Imagine, for instance, if you couldn’t read by the age of 11?

Alisha, from East London, was about to start secondary school before she knew her alphabet.   She had difficulty spelling, with sequencing or patterns of letters and had never read a book. Teachers sometimes asked whether or not she was daydreaming because she had her book open at the same page for so long. As a result, her self-esteem suffered and she started to dread going to school.

Her parents realised that Alisha needed expert help. An educational psychologist diagnosed Alisha with severe dyslexia and referred the family to Waltham Forest Dyslexia Association.

With the help of Lois, a specialist tutor there, Alisha started going for extra lessons in the summer holidays and then on Monday evenings too. Lois went to meetings at Alisha’s secondary school to help her obtain a statement of Special Educational Needs. She had a scribe and a reader for lessons and exams too. And her tutor continues to stay involved in Alisha’s education plan. As a result, she passed her English Language and English Literature GCSEs – an amazing achievement.

Alisha said: “I didn’t know I had dyslexia when I was little. I wouldn’t see sentences I would just see letters. My dyslexia tutor is a really nice person and really helpful. I’ve met other children like me at the classes too.

If I was to give one bit of advice to someone else with dyslexia it would probably be to encourage them to join their local dyslexia group to help them and not to let literacy problems get in their way because they’ll probably find something else to do that they enjoy, like art or sport.

Using computers can also help because of spell check and people understand what you’re trying to say with texting, because it’s just like it sounds, so that’s ok.”

Alisha’s skills have improved to the extent that she’s now read half of Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton’s biography. Her spelling scores have gone up from 68 to 75 while her reading scores have improved even more over the past four years – from 69 to 86 – where the average, on the WRAT system, is 100.

Alisha’s tutor Lois, who went into the profession after her own children were diagnosed with dyslexia, said: “The special thing about Alisha is that she is so determined. Alisha will now have a go at doing things. She’ll tackle reading a book and has become a confident and creative writer. Most of the work I did with her was around literacy. We studied the Dyslexia Institute’s Literacy Programme which takes an individual through every bit of the English language – its points of grammar and different spelling patterns – which really worked for her.”

Alisha’s Dad, who’s a former youth worker, said: “Dyslexia is an overwhelming and isolating impediment.   If children can’t achieve anything, it can have long term implications and they can feel excluded from school. I was worried about the risk of her going down the wrong path. But with intervention, things started to improve. If things like this aren’t put right, society suffers. So often, dyslexia is swept under the carpet and people don’t admit they can’t read or write. We have to enable people to face up to it.
“Since Alisha started extra tuition, the improvement has been unbelievable.   We have regular meetings about Alisha’s educational plan that her dyslexia tutor comes to which has been a huge help. She’s done well enough in her GCSEs to get onto the Animal Care course she wanted to do so she’s very happy.”

Thanks to your generosity, children like Alisha can have a much less daunting experience of school life and are more likely to achieve their full potential. A three year grant from BBC Children in Need funded the sessional costs of eight different dyslexia tutors and an administrator. Between them they supported 45 children and young people like Alisha who are struggling to read and write.

To find out more about the difference your money makes, visit our 'Who You Help' section.

Fundraising Heroes – London and the South East

2013-09-06T14:39:12+00:00

As we leap head-first into fundraising season, it’s becoming hard to hide our excitement as all signs show that this could be our biggest and best year yet. We haven’t had to search far for Fundraising Heroes this week as we’ve been stepping just outside Pudsey HQ to explore London and the South East of England, with very exciting results.

Our first heroes are a group of familiar faces. The cast of The Faulty Towers Dining Experience are currently serving up some highly immersive and painfully entertaining comedy at The Torquay Street Theatre in Charing Cross Hotel. Audiences are invited to have a meal whilst being graciously attended by Basil, Sybil, and Manuel in true Fawlty Towers fashion. The cast are hoping to raise £10,000 for BBC Children in Need- if you want a taste, check out this clip of what happened when Pudsey paid them a visit!

Some people have a passion for sport, some for film, but six-year old Louie, from Milton Keynes, has a very unique passion: lawn mowing! Over the summer, Louie has been working hard to keep the lawns of Milton Keynes in top shape (supervised by Dad, of course), all to raise money for BBC Children in Need. Louie’s mum Sarah told us how Louie has mowed 12 lawns so far, but is still as enthusiastic as ever, “he is passionate about mowing so he was totally in his element.” Louie, we think this is the beginning of a beautiful fundraising career.

Has a terrible day at work ever made you want to throw a pie at your boss? How about throw at your accountant? It seems like the staff at PH Accountancy Ltd have experienced this feeling once or twice. On Friday 15 November they’re taking time out of their busy schedules to throw cream pies at their boss, Andy. It’s all for BBC Children in Need, and is also open to the public, so if you’ve always wanted to pie your accountant, this might be for you! We think brave Andy, courageously willing to be pied for BBC Children in Need, definitely deserves a fundraising hero mention.

We were also pleased to hear that the very photogenic staff at Swale Borough Council are hard at work putting together a staff calendar. All paper, printing and finishing has been donated by local firms and the finished calendars will be sold in aid of BBC Children in Need. The busy staff have also organised a two-month treasure hunt. Good work!

And finally, our last Fundraising Hero is Gary Collins, who has organised a gruelling 1000-mile bike ride with his cycling club, the Red Lion Mountain Bike Team. Gary and his team of around 20 riders will be passing through the beautiful villages of Pirton, Hitchin, Charlton and Offley on their largely off-road track, which they’re hoping to complete in under 24 hours. It’s going to be a challenging ride, and Gary and team are hoping to raise an amazing £10,000.

A huge thank you to our heroes – every donation helps children and young people right here in the UK. If you’re currently fundraising or just in the brainstorming phase, let us know! Just email your local address on this page to tell us what you’re up to. You can also get in touch on Twitter by following us and tagging @BBCCiN. We can help you to promote your fundraising events and maybe, just maybe, you could be a BBC Children in Need Fundraising Hero!

Who You Help: National Childhood Obesity Week

2013-07-02T12:54:17+00:00

It's National Childhood Obesity Week and BBC Children in Need is proud to support more than 250 projects throughout the UK that educate and encourage children and young people to lead healthy, active lifestyles. One of those projects is APPLE.

On the edge of Acton Park in west London there’s a small, inconspicuous building that’s overflowing with activity after school and during the school holidays.

When the children and young people arrive, they receive a warm welcome, immediately wash their hands, and get to work preparing fruit or vegetables for a fruit salad or soup. It’s all part of the aptly-named APPLE project’s central aim of teaching them how to grow and prepare healthy food. As a result, they also develop healthy eating habits, good table manners, learn gardening and cooking skills, as well as generosity and hospitality.

Once they’ve had something healthy to eat, it’s time to get active. That might involve building a go-cart, creating a creature for an exhibition or carnival float, filming a fashion show or a whole host of other arts and crafts. So the project helps local children and young people gain confidence and new skills too.

Project manager Vicki Barker says they also encourage consideration for others by fostering good table manners and sharing. They develop an understanding of others by trying food from other cultures and become self-sufficient because they can grow and prepare their own meals. They have the opportunity to choose positive inclusive activities and the chance to gain vocational qualifications.

APPLE – Acton Play Project and Leisure Services - offers 82 open access sessions to children and young people from low income families by providing a range of cooking, gardening and arts-based activities for them. When the weather is good, that means going outside and planting or harvesting vegetables which are then prepared and eaten inside.

A three year grant of £29,595 funds the costs of food project and gardening staff as well as youth helpers, gardening materials and other project costs.

One young woman, who used to attend APPLE sessions regularly, is now at university in the north of England but popped in a few months ago to talk to her old friends and project staff about how things were going there – inspiring some of the other young people to consider higher education as a possibility for them too.

Another teenager, who had been homeless following a bereavement, successfully worked as a volunteer for a project in south America after developing confidence and new skills at the APPLE project.

But both of those young women were nervous and shy when they first turned up at the project, just like a 12-year-old girl who has started attending recently, hungry and with little self-esteem. Vicki says she is starting to show signs of feeling safe at the project and she and other staff there are sure that before long she will have discovered her own interests, talents and will start making positive choices for herself.