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Children in Need launch urgent appeal
Pudsey’s back - and he needs your help
By WES POWELL
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The BBC charity Children in Need has officially launched its 2020 appeal and hopes to raise a record amount for its 40th birthday, with Merseyside organisations set to benefit from the campaign.
This year’s fundraiser, called ‘Together, We Can’, has kicked off amidst heightened worries over the impacts of Coronavirus on children and young people.
The announcement follows the release of figures concerning youth wellbeing. A recent YouGov survey shows that a worrying 94% of children have experienced sadness or anxiety over the past six months since the pandemic started, and over half stated that they felt lonelier than before lockdown.
The survey also showed that families with young children in lower economic groups (C2DE) have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and are the most likely to become anxious and worried over struggles to afford food and household bills. Over half of parents have also expressed concern that the effects of Coronavirus will have severely negative impacts on the education and career prospects of their kids.
When money raised by the charity is spent in Liverpool it helps to support some of the most vulnerable people in the community.
One example is the Whitechapel Centre, near Everton, which has already seen a grant of almost £125,000 to provide guidance and activities for young people experi-
2020 will be Pudsey’s 35th year as the Children in Need mascot
encing homelessness across the city. Additionally, £110,000 worth of funding has also been given by Children in Need to The Brain Charity, which is based in the city centre, to provide a release for children suffering from neurological conditions. This comes in the form of weekly dance and craft sessions and group therapy, to help improve their physical health and boost their self-esteem. Since it first started in 1980, Children in Need has so far raised a massive £1.5 billion (adjusting for inflation) to help improve the lives of children across the UK. Last year the total raised reached £48.7 million - and the charity hopes to top that again next month. The money raised each year is funnelled into around 2,500 projects that happen across the country, providing support for kids and their parents who are in difficult situations and in serious need of help.
Celebs supporting the cause...
