Right we are having a raffle to raise money for Children in Need and need gifts and Donations
Tickets will be £10
Reef Scuba Raffle
If all that seems like too much hard graft then just sponsor me (and my son) for the dive (24hr scuba dive at Pinewood Studios Underwater Stage)
Justgiving - Mark Cunningham's Fundraising Page So who are Children In Need?
Children in Need's mission is to positively change the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in the UK. Their vision is a society where each and every child and young person is supported to realise their potential.
In 2006 the BBC Children in Need Appeal raised over £33 million and for every penny donated to the charity, a penny will go directly to a project helping disadvantaged children in the UK. They are able to make this promise because the charity uses its investment income to cover all operational costs. Every year, thanks to public donations and the amazing efforts of fundraisers, schools, businesses and our corporate partners, they are able to provide support to thousands of youngsters aged 18 and under.
Children in Need provide this support in the form of grants to organisations working with children who may have experienced mental, physical or sensory disabilities; behavioural or psychological disorders; are living in poverty or situations of deprivation; or suffering through distress, abuse or neglect.
The size and scale of the BBC Children in Need Appeal means that we're able to give grants to hundreds of different organisations, some of which are very small and don't have the resources to fundraise for themselves.
Every single penny you give will be used to support disadvantaged children and young people in the UK. No administrative or promotional costs are paid for out of money raised by donations.
For more info, visit
BBC - BBC Children In Need Where it all began
The BBC's first broadcast appeal for children was a five-minute radio programme on Christmas Day in 1927. It raised £1,143 18s 3d and the proceeds were shared with four prominent children's charities.
The first televised appeal was the 1955 'Children's Hour Christmas Appeal', presented by Sooty and Harry Corbett. The Christmas Day Appeals continued on TV and radio right up until 1979, raising a total of £625,836. The presenters included Terry Hall, Eamonn Andrews, Leslie Crowther, Michael Aspel and the rising star of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show - Terry Wogan - who made his debut appearance in 1978.
In 1980 the appeal was broadcast on BBC One in a new telethon format, hosted by Terry with Sue Lawley and Esther Rantzen. The telethon captured the public's imagination to such an extent that the donations increased dramatically and broke the £1 million mark for the very first time.
Pudsey made his television debut in 1985 when Terry introduced the new, brown cuddly mascot to the audience. He was designed by Joanna Ball, a BBC graphics designer, who named him after the West Yorkshire town where she was born. He proved very popular and returned as Children in Need's official logo the following year with his design amended to that of a yellow bear with a red spotted bandage.
In the two decades which have followed, countless cuddly bears have been sold to raise money for the charity, while Pudsey himself has received letters, drawings and e-mails from youngsters all over the UK and been photographed with more celebrities than he can remember. Apart from a party hat worn in 2004 to celebrate the telethon's silver jubilee, Pudsey has remained very much the same. But a 2007 revamp has given Pudsey a fresh new look and brighter colours in time for the 28th annual BBC Children in Need Appeal.
BBC Children in Need became a registered charity, number 802052, in 1989. The annual telethon continues to be a highlight of the charity's year long campaign, when the whole BBC joins together to support BBC Children in Need on TV, radio and online. The live show features some of the fundraising activities taking place around the UK as well as unexpected performances from familiar faces. Terry Wogan remains the telethon's mainstay who has been joined by a diverse line-up over the years that includes Joanna Lumley, Sue Cook, John Craven, Andi Peters, Gaby Roslin, Natasha Kaplinsky and Fearne Cotton.