by School Reporters Tom, Kieran, Paul and Josh Desborough School, Maidenhead

Director of marketing and fundraising Emma Bradley

He started as a simple drawing on a designer's desk, named after her hometown in the suburbs of Leeds.

He first starred as a small bear on the background of a set, but the public loved him! He soon became the icon and symbol of one of the biggest charities in the world, BBC's Children in Need.

Emma Bradley, the director of marketing and fundraising of Children in Need, said: "Everyone really grew up with a teddy bear so it's a good symbol of something that's important for children and it kind of reminds you of childhood." This is why everyone is drawn to the bear.

Where does all the money come from though? Celebrities donate their personal items so that they can be sold at auction for very high amounts of money. But, the vast majority of money comes from the goodness of the publics' hearts; making fools of themselves, running marathons, cake sales, and many more interesting and amusing activities. It doesn't matter how much or how little they raise because every little bit of money given helps the charity that little bit more.

A School Reporter waits to do his interview

When asked how the credit crunch might affect the charity, Emma had this to say: "It's a question that we're all sitting here biting our fingernails a little bit to see what the credit crunch means. Charities are suffering in the recession because people have less money to give."

Is this a bad sign for this noble cause? Not necessarily. If everyone in England gave just one pound, over 60 million pounds would be raised! This would be a record breaking amount of money raised.

The first Children in Need broadcast was in 1927 and since television was not around then, the broadcast was on the radio. It only lasted for five minutes, but nowadays the program is on television for several hours often raising more than 30 million pounds. This money is spread all across the UK to help children with disabilities get on in the world and to help their guardians cope with the financial stress.

Reporters run through their last minute checks

The first televised broadcast was in 1955 and was called Children's Hour Christmas Appeal. Later on, in 1979, the appeals were on Christmas Day, and Terry Wogan made his first appearance as a host for the BBC Children in Need.

Children in Need have one ultimate goal: to make disadvantaged children across the country better off because of the money from the public. The money could pay for surgery, resources or be used to hire tutors. If there was no Children In Need, many young and otherwise helpless children would be without a hope.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version