More than £26 million had been raised for BBC Children in Need 2012 by 2am – and millions more is expected to pour in over the coming weeks as people send through all the monies raised at fundraising events across the UK.
As well as providing the complex network infrastructure that enables the BBC Children in Need donation phone number to be routed from callers across the country to the participating call centres, BT provides call centre support and hundreds of BT staff volunteers to take donation calls every year.
Liz Williams, BT’s general manager sustainable business, said: “BT has been providing integral support for the BBC Children in Need appeal since the very first telethon in 1980. BT staff at call centres in London, Lincoln, Warrington, Newcastle and Glasgow were among thousands of volunteers who manned phone lines across the country taking donations from tens of thousands of callers.
“With BT’s help, BBC Children in Need has raised more than £650 million since it began. This is a milestone we can all be proud of.”
BT also used the giant LED display at the BT Tower to project an animation of Pudsey Bear, visible across the London skyline.
Coverage of the BBC Children In Need 2012 Appeal was hosted by Sir Terry Wogan, who has been awarded life presidency of the charity. The seven-hour broadcasting marathon is the BBC’s biggest broadcasting event which links BBC centres all over the country.
The donation lines are still open on 0345 733 2233.
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