Radio 2 raises £4.1m for Children in Need

BBC Radio 2 has contributed more than £4 million to this year’s Children in Need appeal through a series of on-air and off-air fundraising efforts.

Live auctions on the Chris Evans breakfast show this week alone raised £2.7m, while over £100,000 was raised at a celebrity gala lunch at The Savoy hotel in London hosted by Sir Terry Wogan.

Earlier this month Ken Bruce took his Pop Master quiz to Manchester for an off-air evening event, while Jo Whiley visited a selection of projects funded by the charity with reports broadcast across the station to highlight where the money goes. Radio 2 has also been encouraging listeners to download audio interviews featuring the entire daytime Radio 2 line-up chatting to their heroes.

The station’s total at the end of a day of requests in return for pledges today on the BBC Children in Need Jukebox was £4,187,522.

Bob Shennan, Controller of Radio 2 and 6 Music, said: “Once again the Radio 2 audience has shown just how generous they are. BBC Children in Need is an important charity which does extremely important work. So thank you to everyone who donated.”

The on-the-night overall total for the BBC Children in Need appeal finished at more than £31m, compared with £26m in 2012.