BBC Children in Need announces highest ever fundraising total: £55million
The Charity thank the public for helping to change the lives of disadvantaged children and young people throughout the UK.
Today (Wednesday 6th July 2016) BBC Children in Need announced its final fundraising total for the 2015 Appeal, a record breaking £55million. The Charity said that the phenomenal total would not have been possible without the Public once again coming together to help raise money to change the lives of disadvantaged children and young people.
The 2015 total is the highest amount of money raised by the Charity in its history and is the culmination of the efforts of every single person across the UK who did something to raise money, from cake baking to sky diving. The money raised will go to projects working in communities across the UK to make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people.
BBC Children in Need supports projects that work with children and young people who are affected by a range of disadvantages including those impacted by homelessness, neglect, deprivation and poverty or young people who are encountering a serious illness or bereavement. In the last year alone, BBC Children in Need has been able to make a positive difference to 480,000 young lives in communities the length and breadth of the UK.
The record breaking total comes during a poignant year for the Charity as it mourns the loss of its Life President, Sir Terry Wogan. Sir Terry was at the helm of BBC Children in Need for over 30 years and was integral to the Charity’s success, raising millions to support projects making a tangible difference to young lives.
David Ramsden, Chief Executive of BBC Children in NeedIt’s been a sad year for us, Sir Terry Wogan was at the heart of the Charity for over 30 years; he would be very proud of this record-breaking total.
“Each year the Public never ceases to amaze us with all they do for BBC Children in Need. It’s their support that enables us to make a difference to young lives across the UK. Thank you, you make it possible.”
Highlights from the 2015 Campaign include Radio 2’s incredible fundraising efforts spearheaded by Chris Evans’ Breakfast Show, The One Show’s Rickshaw Challenge, Sir Tom Jones and Rob Brydon’s ‘One Big Night’ TV Show and the first ever Countryfile Ramble. BBC radio stations across the Nations and Regions threw themselves into fundraising whilst the Charity’s corporate partners, led by Lloyds Banking Group, once again galvanised customers and staff to support Pudsey. And of course, the hundreds and thousands of people across the UK who supported the Charity in many different ways.
BBC Children in Need currently funds around 2,400 projects across the UK. One project currently receiving funding is Saint Michael’s Hospice that delivers support to bereaved children and young people in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Elsewhere in Scotland, The Wester Hailes Youth Agency, is receiving funding to run a drop-in youth club for young people living in an area of economic disadvantage in Southwest Edinburgh. The Roots Foundation in Swansea is funded to provide workshops, training and events that support Looked After Children at risk of exploitation, and in Northern Ireland the Belfast Community Circus School receives funding to run circus workshops and provide confidence-building performance opportunities for disadvantaged and disabled young people.
