Forces raise thousands for Children in Need

Using a colourful range of fundraising activities from the bizarre and ridiculous to the downright painful, Britain's soldiers, sailors and airmen raised thousands of pounds for the annual charity event which culminated in a live televised show on Friday, 14 November 2008.

Friday's events began early as Pudsey Bear arrived at RAF Church Fenton in North Yorkshire accompanied by BBC Look North presenter Harry Gration for the morning weather report. Donning an RAF flying suit, Mr Gration was flown over his home city of York in a Grob Tutor aircraft, with his pilot throwing in a handful of stomach-churning aerobatics during his 20-minute charity flight. Organiser, Officer Cadet Sarah Knowles of the Yorkshire Universities Air Squadron, said:

"It was great to welcome Harry and Pudsey to Church Fenton and next month we have another flying visitor when Santa will wing in with presents and a cheque for the Peter Pan nursery."

Some 4,500km away in southern Iraq, three members of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards based at the Contingency Operating Base in Basra had their legs waxed. Their painful show of support for the children's charity raised some 300 United States dollars.

Back in the UK there was yet more madness as some 400 servicemen and MOD civilians transformed themselves for the Wattisham Airfield Fancy Dress Fun Run. Among those who turned out to run the 1.5 mile (2.4km) course at the Army Air Corps' home of the Apache helicopter were witches, Star Trek Borg, comic book characters Robin and Captain America, and even Darth Vader.

In Scotland, Highland Wing Air Cadets from Ullapool, Forres, Nairn, Stornoway and Elgin rose to a challenge set by Lochaber Squadron Cadets Siobhan Cooper, Michelle Love and Mhairi McDade to pull a 50-tonne RAF Nimrod and raise money for Children in Need.
 
The 58 cadets along with Pudsey Bear and a handful of adult helpers pulled the aircraft 75 metres along the runway at RAF Kinloss in Moray, raising over £3,500. A second event at the air station, the 'Pudsey Bear Runway Relay', saw Air Scouts from the 1st Kinloss Scout Group pass the BBC bear up and down the main runway at speed. Ahead of the event, Scout Leader, Flight Lieutenant Steve Ferris, said:

"It's great that Pudsey is free and willing to take a trip up the runway at Kinloss for the charity in the hands of 1st Kinloss. We will try to be gentle with him but the main thing that we and Pudsey are keen on is that people give generously for those less fortunate than themselves."

The Air Scouts event added another £1,000 to the charity's coffers while an RAF Kinloss charity auction brought yet another £1,000 to the table. Among the lots on offer were a Rangers football shirt signed by Team Captain Barry Ferguson, a Celtic football signed by Neil Lennon and rounds of golf at prestigious Highland courses.

In the South, Portsmouth sailors abseiled down the heights of one of their accommodation blocks. 20-year-old logistics specialist Sam Dawes, from Birmingham, who recently served with the Royal Marines at the RM Training Centre in Lympstone was inspired to arrange this challenge by the Marines' daring activities and was keen to provide an opportunity for regular sailors to take part in the sponsored abseiling activity:

"It's an ideal time to overcome a fear of heights for a great cause!" she said. "I saw the TV advertisements, sent off for a fundraising pack and then decided to arrange something suitably exciting to get involved with Children in Need."

Over the past 21 years the Royal Navy's Motor Cycle Club has raised over £231,000 for Children in Need by visiting military establishments across the length and breadth of the UK. The club had a feature slot on Friday's live BBC Children in Need TV show.
 
Vice-Chairman of the RN Motorcycle Club is George Bunkin, who served in the Royal Navy for 27 years and now works as a civilian at HMS Sultan in Gosport:

"We've already raised £8,000 so far in this year's campaign," he said. "We're visiting military establishments just across the South this year owing to the rise in fuel costs."

Accompanying the team was the mascot, Pudsey Bear Junior, complete with leathers and helmet created by George's grandson Kyle in the early 1980s.

Paul Gordon, 39, from the MOD Police and Guarding Agency based at Southwick's Defence Police School is a member of the HMS Sultan-based motor cycle club. Paul has been taking part in the marathon charity event for the last four years:

"We've braved weather of biblical proportions this year but we're fine now that the sun is shining in Pompey," he said. "Our best year for fundraising was last year when we raised a record £16,900. All funds raised will benefit children in need in the South and South West so we really hope we will be able to match last year's efforts."