GALLERY: Children In Need comes to Jersey

Presented by BBC Jersey’s Clare Burton and Victoria Graham, BBC Spotlight presenter in the south-west, the event included a performance by a 200-strong choir of Jersey schoolchildren, which was broadcast nationally to millions of viewers.

  • Children in Need was first broadcast in 1980, when it was hosted by Terry Wogan, Sue Lawler, and Esther Rantzen. The inaugural event raised £1 million for charity.
  • To date it has raised more than £600 million for good causes.
  • The mascot, Pudsey bear was created in 1985 by BBC graphic designer Joanna Ball. Pudsey is named after Joanna’s home town in West Yorkshire.
  • Children in Need became a registered charity in 1988.
  • Th2 2014 appeal raised more than £32 million on appeal day, with the total later reaching over £49 million.
  • The first official Children in Need single to reach number one in the charts was a version of Lou Reed’s Perfect Day, performed by a number of famous musicians, in 1997.

The annual Children In Need television appeal was broadcast on the BBC on Friday evening, raising £37 million, and every time they cut to the regions, views from across the south-west had a chance to watch the latest action from the Fort Regent event.

Meanwhile, the Jersey choir’s performance of the Miley Cyrus hit The Climb was broadcast nationally, as part of a nationally co-ordinated piece featuring singers from across the UK.

Host Dermot O’Leary remarked that it was the first time the national Children In Need choir had included a group from Jersey.

The Fort Regent south-west party also included a corporate challenge, which saw Jersey teams competing against each other in a series of games throughout the evening.

Teams were competing for the Challenge Trophy, as well as a cup for raising the most in sponsorship and donations.

The event followed a day of fundraising for Children In Need on Friday, where Islanders did all manner of things to raise money for the charity.

The theme for this year’s event was ‘Be a Hero’, with Islanders of all ages dressing up as their heroes, holding cake sales and taking part in wacky challenges.

One of the Island’s politicians even got in on the fun, as St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft dressed up in a colourful suit and blonde wig.

The Constable collected money in King Street alongside shop owners, members of Jersey Rugby Club and town centre manager Daphne East.

Staff at Ports of Jersey took turns to row or cycle over a 12-hour period, with £1 being donated for every mile covered.

Air traffic controllers, engineers and even the chief executive, Doug Bannister, took part in the challenge, which was held in the departures lounge at the Airport.

As well as the fundraising activities at the Airport, Ports of Jersey staff based at the Harbour raised money by holding a giant cake sale.

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