Pudsey and the Thread of Hope is a beautiful animation and accompanying children’s book created for BBC Children in Need by bestselling author Tom Fletcher.

In the story, we meet Jai, a young boy navigating grief after losing his father. Jai’s story and the other children he meets are all fictional, but many of them face similar challenges to real children supported by BBC Children in Need. In this post, we’ll meet just some of the real children BBC Children in Need helps thanks to your donations.

What’s Pudsey and the Thread of Hope about?

In the book and animation, we follow Jai, a young boy navigating grief after losing his father. Pudsey is here to help him, though, and the two set off on a magical journey to meet Maya, Ricky, Tomash, Remi and Ellie – children who have been supported by Pudsey’s kindness and who are connected by the golden thread of hope.

Through them, Jai finds friendship, learns to talk about his emotions, shares memories of his Dad and discovers how “it’s always worth a try”. Jai remembers the words of encouragement his Dad always used to inspire him to give things a go and not be scared of failing or looking silly.

The story highlights the importance of trusted positive relationships in helping young people to overcome adversity.

£1 from the sale of each paperback copy of the book is donated to BBC Children in Need.

Why did Tom Fletcher and BBC Children in Need create Pudsey and the Thread of Hope?

At BBC Children in Need, we fund vital support for children and young people living with challenges caused by mental health, poverty, social inequality and family-related issues.

We work with all kinds of projects and initiatives that make life lighter for children – and we want to celebrate their impact.

The characters who Jai and Pudsey meet on their adventure are not based on real life people. But their stories help to show the kind of support that young people receive at BBC Children in Need-funded charities.

How your donations support children facing bereavement

Jai, the central character in the book, misses his dad and now struggles to enjoy the things they used to do together. BBC Children in Need funds initiatives across the country that provide counselling for children and young people following the loss of a loved one.

Earlier this year, we met Sonny when he performed in the BBC Children in Need choir. Sonny was just four-years-old when he lost his Dad to cancer.

It was an incredibly difficult time for Sonny and his Mum, but thanks to your donations they found support from project workers at Ellenor Hospice.

Four years on, and Sonny is now thriving. Through Ellenor Hospice, he takes part in activities and crafts specially designed for children who have lost someone they love and receives counselling to help him process his grief in the healthiest way possible, while always remembering his Dad.

The real-life projects providing dance, drama and art 

Early on in their journey, Pudsey and Jai meet a little girl – Maya – who has a prosthetic leg. Maya needs a bit of a confidence boost ahead of her upcoming dance show.

Creative activities such as dance, drama and art can make a huge difference to young peoples’ mental and physical health, improving their social skills and simply enabling them have fun!

11-year-old Emma from Cambridgeshire also uses a blade – just like Maya in the animation. Emma’s blade is a prosthetic lower limb designed for activities that involve high energy and impact… like dancing, which is one of Emma’s favourite things to do! She learned about the BBC Children in Need-funded charity, Steel Bones when attending her local limb fitting centre.

The charity supports people with limb differences by organising events, meet-ups and sometimes even parties!

“Steel Bones has helped me with my self confidence and given me the opportunity to meet others like myself,” says Emma. “It’s important to have charities like this as they make a big difference to families and individuals lives and I don’t know where I’d be without them.”

How a day out at the beach can make a huge difference

A little later in the story, Ricky is enjoying a day out on the beach… but is struggling to get a kite airborne! Can Pudsey and Jai help?

Getting out and about and taking part in fun, open-air activities are great ways to enjoy some respite from the stresses of life – which is especially important for children living with significant challenges or shouldering major responsibilities.

10-year-old young carer Spencer appeared on the 2025 Appeal Show. He looks after his dad, who has a degenerative disc disease, and has been supported from the age of five by an amazing charity called Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Young Carers group, part-funded by BBC Children in Need.

As well as one-to-one mentoring, and a chance to meet other young carers who understand his situation, the project takes Spencer on days out at the beach, woodland walks, farm visits and all kinds of other adventures.

That means he can spend time with friends who have similar experiences – and can enjoy a break from everything he does as a young carer.

“I think it’s brilliant,” says Spencer. “Do you know where you have fun, and it just goes past really quickly? It’s like that.”

The real-life boxing gym supporting young people

Jai and Pudsey then meet Tomash at a boxing gym – where Jai gets a chance to release some of the feelings he’s been storing away inside.

Sports and exercise are not just great ways to stay fit and well, but they can also be a fantastic help in the development of positive mental health and a sense of community.

When doing research for the animation, the producers heard about the story of 17-year-old Salim. After experiencing years of bullying and struggling to achieve the results he wanted in school due to his dyslexia, he found Monkstown Boxing Club, a project that receives funding from BBC Children in Need.

Monkstown Boxing Club is run by youth workers who coach young boxers – but it also provides breakfast clubs, homework support, mentoring and more.

Now Salim’s grades are up, he’s more confident and he has a brilliant group of people to spend time with and talk to!

“They will be there for you in your darkest days, no matter what,” says Salim. “It’s changed my mental health for the better. It’s changed my physical health…and it’s just made me happy.”

How you can help

We hope the stories in Pudsey and the Thread of Hope help to illustrate the impact that your donations can have on children’s lives, all across the UK.

Your money enables us to give grants to organisations so they can help real life children such as Sonny, Emma, Spencer and Salim.

With your generosity, we can change lives together. But there’s always more we can do. Each year, we have to turn down requests for funding because we don’t have enough money to help every organisation which applies to us.

You can help us reach more children by donating to BBC Children in Need or by buying the book Pudsey and the Thread of Hope – £1 from every copy sold will be donated to us.