The whole team at Bassetts Honda Swansea got involved in some top-quality fundraising this year. How could we not give a shout-out to this team when they have such epic fancy dress (the cowboy is our particular favourite). They even held their own ‘Where’s Wally?’ competition, featuring their very own Wally – the eagle-eyed among you will have already spotted him in the picture below! There were also games and snacks on the day, bringing a whopping £3794.38 for disadvantaged children and yound people all over the UK. Leanne from the team got in touch to say what a great time the whole team had fundraising, and it sounds like she’s already thinking about how next year could be even bigger! A very heroic team indeed!

Staff and pupils at Meadow View Primary School in Rotherham had a brilliant Pudsey-themed day on 15 November, raising money a variety of ways including a bake sale and a groovy disco, as well as weaving a little bit of Pudsey magic into the curriculum as well, bringing the yellow Bear into the classroom to not only educate but also to entertain. Also, very impressively, the whole school put their pennies together to fill in this giant penny Pudsey on the floor! Overall the school raised £450.00 - an amazing effort, so a huge well done to all involved at Meadow View!

That's a crazy amount of stuff going on for a good cause, we’re sure you’ll agree - and there's more! The awesome students at York Student Television (YSTV), York University’s very own campus TV channel, put together a great BBC Children in Need-themed broadcast featuring all the characteristics of the charity’s annual Appeal show and giving them a distinct York University twist. Two students, Grace and Matt, presented the show which featured live music, onesie mayhem, broken eggs and funny sketches! You can check out the show here, and of course, a huge thank you to all at YSTV for going to such a huge effort to raise money!

Did you do something heroic this year? If so, make sure you tell us about it so we can say thanks and, quite possibly, feature you in an upcoming article on this very blog. If you’d like a mention, just get in touch and tell us about all your fundraising. Simply email your local address on this page, and tag us @BBCCiN on Twitter and Instagram or @Pudsey Bear on Facebook. It’s easy. So go, help us celebrate your decision to #BeAHero!

Casual shoppers in Worthing were recently treated to an impromptu ‘flash mob’ when Lisa Saw and students from her ‘Strictly Dancing with Lisa’ classes took to the streets to light up a grey, wet Saturday with a little fundraising magic. Lisa told us exactly what happened:

“I have been teaching adult dance and fitness classes in West Sussex for six years, and for a long time I have wanted to organise a flash mob with those who attend my classes, and it seemed a great way to also raise money for charity. BBC Children In Need seemed the obvious choice because they do such great work and the ideas behind their fundraising are largely focused on having fun. I’d previously organised a smaller event and raised £400 for them, so this was our target.

For most of the ladies taking part I knew performing in public would be out of their comfort zone. So, a year ago I decided on a song (‘On The Street Where You Live’) and a routine, and began teaching it at all my classes, with some extra practice sessions too. When the ‘big’ day finally arrived it was raining! However, we all decided to go ahead with it as the rain wasn’t heavy enough to deter us. So, we headed down to Worthing Town Centre. I began dancing and gradually the others joined in, about forty-five of us in total. All was going well until the unexpected happened, towards the end of the dance the music suddenly cut out! But, like true professionals everyone carried on and instinctively we just started to sing and dance our way to the end. Everyone had such brilliant fun and said how their nerves just disappeared once the music started. We are all thrilled too, that we’ve raised £3,103 so far! I’m so proud of all those who took part.”

You can check out a video of the event here. Looks like all that time training for the flash mob paid off in a big way - every penny of that amazing total will go towards helping disadvantaged children and young people all over the UK, so a big thank you from everyone here at Pudsey HQ.

The ears of commuters passing through Leeds City Train Station on Thursday 14 November will be treated to some indulgent audio pleasure from our next fundraiser, saxophonist Will Forrester. We asked Will to let us know what he was up to:

“I have always tried to do something for Children In Need and for the last 10 years I have been busking to raise money. This year is going to be longest yet - I’ll busking for sixteen hours on Thursday 14th November, at Leeds City Train Station. It's a solo busk and I will be there from 5am - 9pm! You can’t miss me this year as Warrens Display from Leeds has kindly printed and designed a full backdrop for me!”

Throughout his marathon ‘Big Busk’, Will's playing a mixture of songs to get commuters into the groove, everything from Disney favourites, jazz and soul classics, to today’s big hits. Last year Will raised a huge £3,200 from donations in the station and through his JustGiving page, and he’s hoping to raise even more this time around. Altogether, Will’s efforts over the past ten years have raised over £26,000 - a true BBC Children in Need fundraising hero!

So if you’re commuting through Leeds and you hear the smooth sounds of Will’s saxophone skills, please give generously, or if you’re inspired by Will’s idea, head over to his JustGiving page to donate now to help Will in his mission to change the lives of young people all over the UK, including right where he is in Leeds. Good luck Will!

If you've chosen to be a fundraising hero, we think you deserve some recognition. We'd love you to get in touch and tell us about all your fundraising. 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, of course, #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 2013 fundraising packs. You'll be weaving some fundraising magic in no time at all!

As part of our 2013 campaign, we’ve been urging fundraisers to undertake ‘Challenges for Champions’, and we’re glad to see one group from Tyne and Wear who really took the challenge to heart. Jonathan Robison, Adrian Mitchison, Michael Irwin, Alexander Sklikas, Roger Burkill, Ryan Cunningham, and Billy Taylor all got together to attempt the National Three Peaks Challenge. The team triumphantly conquered Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowden, raising a huge £3,095.00 along the way. Heroic stuff!

2013 is shaping up to be a very musical year for BBC Children in Need; we’ve heard from many talented fundraisers telling us about about their musical fundraising adventures. One of these heroes is Junior Turner, a rising singer from Newcastle Upon Tyne who’s recorded a cover of the classic ‘The Impossible Dream’ for BBC Children in Need. Junior’s been getting out there and giving up his time for us, and by doing so he’s been helping to change the lives of children and young people all over the UK, so we think he definitely deserves the title of a fundraising hero!

There’s lots more going on, too. Isobel Johnson emailed to tell us about a coffee and cakes morning she’s been holding today, Wednesday 25 September. There’s nothing better than to get together and #bakeit for a good cause, so we hope Isobel and her guests have a great time.

Jordan Kemp from Scarborough also got in touch to let us know that he’ll be doing a charity bike ride on Saturday 2 November – thanks Jordan, let us know how you get on!

A gigantic thank you to our heroes – every donation helps children and young people right here in the UK. If you’re currently organising your heroic fundraising for this year, let us know! Just email your local address on this page to tell us what you’re up to. You can also get in touch by following us on Twitter, tagging @BBCCiN, and using our campaign hashtag, #beahero. We're also on Facebook. We can help you to promote your fundraising events and maybe, just maybe, you could be a BBC Children in Need Fundraising Hero!

One young carer supported by BBC Children in Need is 11-year-old Ellie.

 

Ellie lives with her mum and 5-year-old sister. Her mum has arthritis which means she struggles to walk and it’s difficult for her to do simple tasks like washing up and cooking. This means Ellie has lots of chores to do around the house because her mum simply can’t manage them. She cleans the house, cooks the meals and does the washing. Ellie has to get up really early to take her little sister to school as well. All of this is a lot for an 11-year-old!

 

Ellie is too busy to see school friends, and her mum can’t take her shopping in town like she used to. This meant Ellie wasn’t having fun like other children, and spent all her time in the house. That was until she found The Island N1 in York! They are a mentoring project that helps children who are going through a tricky period in their lives by matching them up with an older friend who can take them out. Ellie was matched up with Lydia who had decided to become a mentor to help other people.

 

Ellie is always excited to meet Lydia. Once a week Ellie and Lydia hang out like best friends. They have done everything together, including painting, cinema trips, boating and eating pizza! Lydia is like a sister to Ellie which means she always has someone to confide in when she is worried.

Ellie is always worrying about her mum, as it’s possible she will hurt herself when Ellie isn’t there. However, since hanging out with Lydia, Ellie’s confidence has grown and she manages to worry less. The four hours she is with Lydia is all her own time and it helps her to relax. The Island has helped Ellie have a normal childhood.

The 5-live-a-side challenge will take place from 2pm Friday 12 October to 2pm Saturday 13 October at The Sheffield United Academy, Fishill Crescent (just off Shirecliffe Road) in Sheffield.

Each player taking part in 5-live-a-side will play for a minimum of 10 minutes and may get the chance to show off their skills against BBC presenters, celebrities and former football pros. The game will run for a continuous 24 hours under the watchful eye of an official Guinness World Records Adjudicator, and to encourage some friendly competition there will be a final score.

5 live presenters Colin Murray for Fighting Talk and Robbie Savage for 606 will be on-hand on Saturday to play in the final stint of the – hopefully - successful record attempt, before celebrating the ambitious task with a special one-off match between hand-picked Fighting Talk and 606 squads.

So do you want to be part of the team? It doesn’t matter how good you are - all you have to do is sign-up below to be in with a chance of being in the squad.

So if you’re 18 or over and up for some footy fun for BBC Children in Need, then register your interest now at bbc.co.uk/5live/5liveaside.

Please note that places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. If you’re successful you’ll be invited to make a voluntary donation to BBC Children in Need via the Pudsey website.

Full terms and conditions are available here.

One such event will be taking place in Ward Jackson Park in Hartlepool, in the North East of England, where the bandstand will host a musical programme celebrating local youth music talent. And we're delighted to say that Red Dreams, a BBC Children in Need-funded project, is pivotal to the whole Hartlepool event!

Red Dreams was created to support young people between the ages of 11 and 19. It’s based in a deprived area of Hartlepool, offering opportunities to young people who otherwise couldn’t afford to break into the performing arts sector. It offers mentoring and coaching for Bands, Singers, Songwriters, Actors, Musicians, Artists, Writers, Film Makers, Editors (Film and Sound) and many more. Over the past few years the organisation has grown and they now have over 25 dedicated mentors who volunteer to teach their skills and knowledge.

With the completion of the Red Dreams Unit in 2009 (which offers use of rehearsal rooms, and recording and editing facilities), each person who enters ‘The Unit’ is given a performance plan and goals; as well as a wealth of opportunities to showcase their talent at Festivals, on local stages, local and regional radio, and sometimes even national television.

Red Dreams' founder Dawn McManus said: "This event is a fantastic opportunity for young, local talent to be a part of the legacy of London 2012, giving our young people a chance to showcase their talents and bring the community together."

We're very proud that one of the projects that's supported by BBC Children in Need is playing such an important part in the London 2012 Festival's closing event. And we're even prouder of the fact that it's the money that's so generously donated by the British public that helps amazing projects like Red Dreams to give such young people from deprived areas a chance to fulfil their potential. Best of luck on Sunday, guys!

Children in hospital across the UK are sending messages to the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle to celebrate the successful launch of their new Radio Lollipop studio, during their 30th anniversary year. 

The new broadcasting equipment in Newcastle was purchased with a grant from BBC Children in Need and will make a big difference to children who have to spend time in the hospital due to illness. Seven year old long term patient and passionate Radio Lollipop supporter Cory Davison, supported by his family from Blyth, cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony.

“I love Radio Lollipop because they play my favourite songs,” says Cory.

As well as operating in 10 UK children’s hospitals, Radio Lollipop runs a further 16 in Australia, New Zealand and the US. 

So far its volunteers have helped nearly 5 million children and reached 13 million people worldwide.

Founded in 1979 Radio Lollipop is staffed entirely by volunteers.  Trained Radio Lollipop volunteers spend time playing with children on the wards while Radio Lollipop DJs work their magic in the hospital studios.  Children can listen from their beds or come into the studio and get involved in the shows.

Radio Lollipop’s work is based on the healing power of play – play is recognised as one of the best therapies for children recovering from illness.

To find out more about the projects funded in your local area, see our who you help section.