Children in Need 2016

by Hannah Knight

Suitable for Key Stage 3

Aims

To educate us on the importance of giving to those less fortunate.

Preparation and materials

• Have available the following videos and means to show them during the assembly.
  
  - Video 1: 'Tom and Jerry: A fundraising adventure', BBC Children in Need. It is 2.16 minutes long.
  
  
  
  - Video 2: 'Jamie’s Farm, a project funded by BBC Children in Need', BBC Children in Need. It is 4.42 minutes long.
  
   
  
  - Video 3: 'Joe's Story told by Martin Freeman', BBC Children in Need. It is 3.31 minutes long.
  
  
  
  - Video 4: 'BBC Children in Need - helping children smile throughout the UK', BBC Children in Need. It is 2.20 minutes long.
  
  

• You will also need the following images and the means to display them during the assembly (check copyright):
  
  - Pudsey in 1985 (available at: http://ow.ly/QTzKR) 
  - Pudsey in 2015 (available at: http://ow.ly/QTzXm).
  
  
• Have available the song 'Wake me up' by Gareth Malone's All Star Choir and the means to play it at the end of the assembly.

Assembly

1. Play Video 1.
   
   
   
   Children in Need is a great charity that helps all sorts of children facing difficulties. Children in Need supports children and young people with disabilities and life-limiting conditions, hospitals and other charities that focus on keeping children safe.
   
   To help raise money, the BBC hosts a television show that includes lots of singing and dancing, celebrity guests and lots of crazy, fun activities.
   
   Since 1980, Children in Need has raised over £600 million for UK children and, if we all work together, we will be able to raise even more money to help children. 
   
   
2. How have our donations made a difference?
   
   Play Videos 2, 3 and 4.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Who can tell me the name of Children in Need’s famous teddy bear mascot?
   
   Yes, Pudsey!
   
   Show the two images of Pudsey.
   
   Pudsey was designed by a lady called Joanna Ball, who named him after a little town called Pudsey in West Yorkshire. Pudsey made his first television appearance in 1985 and he looked very different from how he does now. Pudsey had brown fur, three black buttons and a red eye patch.
   
   Pudsey became very popular and was given a brand new design. He now has yellow fur and an eye patch with multicoloured spots.
   
   Over the years, Pudsey has received thousands of letters, drawings and emails from children all over the UK and been photographed with many celebrities.
    
4. There are many ways in which to donate to Children in Need. You could also download a sponsorship form from Children in Need's website and do something spontaneous or even organize a fundraising activity or event. This could be as creative, crazy or imaginative as you like. You could hold a:
   
   - sponsored run or do another kind of sport
   - sponsored silence
   - cake sale
   - card sale, designing and selling cards
   - talent show, charging a fee to perform or sell tickets
   - art show, people making donations to enter their art or attend
   - party, selling tickets to attend, with a raffle, collections of donations and so on at the event
   - quiz, with an entrance fee, charge for a meal and collections of donations.
   
   
5. Other ways in which you can help include selling your old games and toys and giving the money raised to Children in Need, raising awareness of the charity or volunteering for one of the projects that it sponsors. There are many other ways to help, too. For more ideas, have a look on Children in Need's website. Remember, the key to fundraising is to get across how much the money raised will help improve children’s quality of life.

Time for reflection

Let’s be still and think about all the children in the UK who are disadvantaged, poorly and unsafe. Let us work together as a school to help children and young people in need by raising money and awareness and ensuring that we always put others before ourselves. 

Song/music

'Wake me up' by Gareth Malone's All Star Choir