It’s no secret that each year inspirational fundraisers from all over the UK reveal their inner hero by organising some amazing fundraising adventures for BBC Children in Need. This year’s current crop of fundraisers may be the most glorious yet - we’ve seen all sorts of mountain-climbing, record-breaking, head-shaving, lawn-mowing, cake-baking, photo-shooting antics, and it looks like there’s plenty more to come. One of the very best things about our fundraising heroes is that anyone can be one - Just by getting out and there and fundraising you’ll be changing lives, and this makes you a hero in our book!
We’re taking some time out this week to introduce some more of our inspirational fundraisers. Meet Hanni, a twelve-year-old hero from Hertfordshire. We were lucky enough to receive a hand-written letter from Hanni telling us all about herself and her big idea:
“I am twelve years old. I go to school in Hertfordshire. I enjoy playing tennis and cooking, and I have an older brother and sister and a sausage dog called Chester. My big idea is to make a book about what makes people happy! I am asking lots of interesting and famous people to write or draw what makes them happy. I will then put them all in a book that people can buy. All the money from sales of this book will be donated to BBC Children in Need. So far I have got over 30 responses from celebrities!
Some of the people who have sent me entries are: Michael McIntyre, Little Mix, Cliff Richard, Daley Thompson, Jim Carter from Downton Abbey, Olly Murs, Denise Van-Outen and Kimberley Walsh! Some people, like John Bishop and Nicole Sherzinger, actually took the time to draw what makes them happy!”
Hanni with some of the letters she's recieved.
And so Hanni has embarked upon her fundraising mission. Along the way she’ll no doubt encounter many more interesting people to add to her book. In fact, the team at Strictly Come Dancing were so impressed with Hanni’s letter they even invited her to studios to talk to all the cast! Looks like this book will be bursting at the seams with top names. Watch out on this blog and on our social media channels as we’ll keep you up to date with Hanni’s adventure!
Speaking of adventures, we recently heard about a very heroic mission undertaken by the team at DHL Retail Business Support. The team raised money for BBC Children in Need by being sponsored to push their colleague, who is a wheelchair user, up Mount Snowdon in a specially adapted wheelchair. Just to give some perspective, Snowden is the highest mountain in England and Walesat3,650 feet high! Courageous stuff, and an ambitious attempt! The team chose a route that made the distance to the summit five miles, which meant with the return journey the team travelled a climbed and descended a total of ten miles! Pudsey thought that the teams adventure was such a great effort he even turned up on the day for some moral support!
A big well done to all of the fundraising heroes on the climbing team: Nigel Gallier, Richard Baldwin-Hay, Paul Walker, Gareth Donovan, Stephen Palfreeman, Nicola Crick, Anna Taylor, Karen Denoven, Sonia Legowska, Tom Smith, Claire Wilson, Jim Meehan, Chris Read and Scott Roberts.
The brave DHL team on the day of the challenge!
The climb was successfully completed in September, and the team’s fantastic fundraising efforts have so far raised over £6,000 for BBC Children in Need – an amazing achievement. So, we’d like to say a big, big thank you from Pudsey and team; without fundraisers like you, we wouldn’t be able to fund over 2700 projects, 365 days a year, helping disadvantaged children and young people all over the UK, and right where you live.
If you've chosen to be a fundraising hero, we think you deserve some recognition. Help us to celebrate you and your great work by getting in touch and telling us about all the brave fundraising you've been embarking. Simply email your local address on this page, and tag us @BBCCiN on Twitter and Instagram or @Pudsey Bear on Facebook. Don't forget to use our official hashtags to help us spread the excitement - #bakeit, #pyjamas, #songanddance and our main hashtag for 2013 - #BeAHero.
If you still haven't decided what you'll be doing to fundraise this year, it's not too late to get involved! A great place to start is by downloading one of our free 2013 fundraising packs. Or if you prefer, you can order one in the post. You'll be full of inspirational ideas in no time at all!
