Event Exeter part of biggest BBC Children in Need night ever

Hundreds of staff, students and local people joined the BBC in the Forum at the University on Friday 16 November for the annual Children in Need broadcast.

Hosted by BBC presenters David Fitzgerald and Victoria Graham, the festivities started at 1.30pm. The event, which was managed by the Event Exeter team in collaboration with University colleagues, featured live broadcasts by the BBC Spotlight team as well as linking to the national TV network programme throughout the evening. 

The Forum, a £48m development opened in May this year by Her Majesty The Queen, provided the perfect space for crowds to be entertained. Everything from stunts to slime were on show, with features including stilt walkers, circus acts, mountain bike trials and the iconic bath of beans. Spectators were treated to live performances of music, drama and much more from University Societies throughout the evening, both inside the Forum and on the outdoor piazzas.

One of the highlights of the national TV show was the 2,000-strong BBC Children In Need Choir, which included 200 youngsters from across Devon, Cornwall and the Channel Islands who performed from the main stage in the Forum Street. They were one of 15 choirs representing regions across the UK, who linked up for a national choral performance.

Both staff and students at the University pulled out all the stops to raise funds, baking, pedalling and dunking their way towards an impressive total on the night; approximately £1,000 was raised by staff and an impressive £5,257 by Exeter students across the three campuses.

Speaking after the event, Sarah Hellyar of the BBC said “Here at the BBC we are all singing the praises of every single one of you that we had the pleasure to meet and work with. I can honestly say we have never before worked with such a great team of people, who just couldn’t do enough to help us. Your attention to detail was unsurpassed.

The Forum looked absolutely fantastic and the atmosphere in there was buzzing. All in all, I can’t thank you enough for all that you did to make Children in Need 2012 from the University of Exeter such a huge success. It’s been a complete pleasure to work with such a brilliantly helpful, creative, constructive team of people with a real can-do attitude.”

The South West raised £722,586 which contributed to a record amount on the night of £26,757,446.

Pictures taken on the night can be viewed and downloaded on the University’s Flickr page.