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The great British public has risen to the occasion once again and raised an astonishing £20,309,747 for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children in Need which will go on to make a positive change thousands of young lives.

Celebrating its 30th Appeal, the show marked the crescendo of this year's activities through a star-studded feast of family entertainment in order to help raise money for disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

Highlights include:

• A Motown musical sensation in Albert Square from the cast of EastEnders
• All the way from the USA, singing sensation Taylor Swift performing Love Story
• The official Children in Need single performance from the comedian and singer, Peter Kay, featuring 100 famous animated characters from children's television singing a medley of hit songs
• JLS performed Everybody In Love
• Pixie Lott performed Girls And Boys
• Full Steam Ahead by Annie Lennox and David Gray
• A preview of the Doctor Who Christmas special
• Gary Barlow dropped in to present a cheque for £2,125,932 from the proceeds of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children in Need Rocks the Royal Albert Hall Concert
• Dragon's Den renovating a Children in Need project building
• Messages from Pudsey's friends Lady Gaga, Pink, Harry Potter, Zac Effron, Wallace and Gromit and Cheryl Cole
• And, of course, the night wouldn't be complete without the Newsreaders, who performed a "Bootylicious" routine to bring in the money with the winner of Britain's Got Talent, Diversity!
• A Radio 2 cheque of £1,869,394

At the helm was Children in Need veteran Terry Wogan who was joined by TV darlings Tess Daly and Alesha Dixon to present the seven-hour entertainment marathon live from London's Television Centre, linking ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ studios from across the UK in Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow, as well as broadcasts from venues across England celebrating the efforts of fundraisers all over the country!

The Appeal Night represents an exciting culmination of fundraising activity for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children in Need, but the total will continue to rise as the money pours in from the thousands of events already held, or scheduled to happen, around the UK.

From cake sales in the office to talent contests at school, from sitting in a bath of baked beans to all the bike-a-thons, hop-a-thons, skip-a-thons and the eye-watering wax-a-thons, a huge community of supporters have come together to Do Something Different for Pudsey.

And it's not too late to get involved, either by organising a fundraising event, calling our donation line on 0345 733 2233 or visiting bbc.co.uk/pudsey.

Terry Wogan said: "This year we surpassed all expectations with the amount raised and I am in awe that in these tough times, the British public has shown such tremendous support and generosity. I'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone involved and for the extraordinary lengths the country has gone to help raise money for disadvantaged children."

The final "On the Night" total was: £20,309,747.

The regional totals are:

• Scotland £1,646,887
• Northern Ireland £623,276
• Wales £1,135,474
• North West £1,669,005
• East Yorks & Lincs £424,122
• Yorkshire £1,186,439
• North East & Cumbria £1,006,542
• West Midlands £1,486,165
• East Midlands £1,022,057
• East £1,468,099
• West £828,842
• South West £548,302
• South £1,301,219
• South East £1,053,287
• London £2,540,636

Notes to Editors

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children in Need in Appeal is a registered charity number 802052.

Last year's ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children in Need television broadcast raised £20,991,216 million on the night and the 2008 Appeal total eventually topped £38 million.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children in Need's mission is to positively change the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in the UK. Every year, thanks to public donations and the amazing efforts of fundraisers, schools, businesses and our corporate partners, we are able to make a difference to thousands of young lives.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children in Need awards grants to organisations working with children aged 18 and under who 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.

The charity is supported by a number of corporate partners including Asda, Boots, Costco, Royal Mail, Greggs and our operational partner BT.

Pictures are available from bbcpictures.com.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Press Office