BBC Children in Need: NI raises more than £925,000
People in Northern Ireland have dug deep to help Children in Need, raising £926,505 for this year's BBC charity appeal.
Across the UK, a total of £47.9m was raised after a five-hour telethon on Friday night. In Belfast, presenters Holly Hamilton and Stephen Clements introduced some of the young people who helped to raise cash for Pudsey. The BBC charity supports 186 children's projects across Northern Ireland. Friday night's show featured some of the organisations that benefit from the annual appeal, showing the difference it makes to children who have had a difficult start in life. In London, the star-studded telethon was hosted by Graham Norton, Tess Daly, Mel Giedroyc and Ade Adepitan among others. They introduced a special performance from a UK-wide choir featuring children from four primary schools in Northern Ireland. Pupils from Ballyholme Primary School in Bangor, Ebrington Primary School in Londonderry, Macosquin Primary in Coleraine and St Clare's Abbey Primary in Newry were selected after making it to the semi-final of the BBC Northern Ireland School Choir Of The Year earlier this year. They joined schools from England, Scotland and Wales to perform Cyndi Lauper's 1980s ballad True Colours. The BBC has been broadcasting its annual Children in Need appeal since 1980. Last year, its all-time donations total passed the £1bn mark. On Sunday, Pudsey will be back in Belfast to say a big thank you to all those who have supported this year's appeal. He will join Stephen Clements for a special programme looking back at the highlights from the fundraising efforts in Northern Ireland. The programme will also show how the money has been used to help disadvantaged children and young people. Children in Need - The Best Bits will be broadcast on BBC One Northern Ireland at 15:50 GMT on Sunday 17 November.