This is not the sort of post I write very often and to be honest, most of this type of request gets knocked back but when a polite request arrived in my inbox for me to mention this on my blog, I knew that I would be happy to help.
This Friday is Children in Need day, one of those days in the calendar that you cannot fail to notice. The whole BBC schedule on Friday night puts paid to that, and there are programmes in the run up. The whole point of the evening is to raise money to make a positive difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in the UK. the UK. The organisations which receive funding all work with youngsters aged 18 and under who may have mental, physical or sensory disabilities; behavioural or psychological disorders; are living in poverty or situations of deprivation; or suffering through distress, abuse or neglect.
Pudsey is the symbol of BBC Children in Need and you can now make your own Pudsey or his "beary best friend" Blush at Build A Bear Workshops across the UK. £5 from the sale of each bear will go directly to Children In Need funds. £135,000 was raised for the charity through the sale of Pudsey and Blush bears last year and this year, they are hoping to exceed this. Pudsey has some new outfits - a T-shirt with the new logo and some lovely slippers - as does Blush, and £1 per item of clothing also go to Children in Need.
If you've been reading this blog a while, you'll know that in June, we were invited to visit the Build-A-Bear Workshop at the Trafford Centre for another charity event and met Maxine Clark, the founder. The children both came away with their own bears - well, actually, a Hello Kitty and a Darth Vader teddy - and they both adored their bears and the whole experience of making their bears. The whole experience was lovely for all of us, if a little busy, and the bears have stood the test of time, despite being hauled around the place and used and abused in a way only small children can.
So, you'd be getting a lovely bear to take away and helping a charity. If you're fundraising on the day, I guess you could always raffle your Pudsey or Blush to help boost your total amount raised. Get your Pudsey now and help the appeal beat last year's record total of £39 million and help those children who really do need our help.
(I have not been paid to write this post, although Build-A-Bear have offered to send a ready made bear for the children)