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Sir Terry Wogan returned to his old stomping ground this morning to announce live on Chris Evans's Radio 2 breakfast show ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children in Need's record breaking total of £39million.

Sir Terry, calling in live from Gascony, said: "The final figure for Children in Need was a record breaking £39m, in the midst of the worst economic recession since the war." He then congratulated Chris Evans's personal total of £530,823, continuing to praise what he deemed as "the people's charity". He also congratulated Chris on his recent radio figures, joking that he should have left earlier as he was clearly "putting 1 million listeners off!".

Thanks to additional donations from fundraisers and lovers of the bear, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children in Need has watched November's telethon total of £20.3m rise to £39m, putting the charity in line for an historic record breaking total.

Today, in the second of four grant rounds, £10.9m will be allocated to projects around the UK to help change the lives of disadvantaged children and young people.

Successfully awarded projects include Carers Support Merton in London who are receiving a grant of £115,000 to provide support to young carers to help decrease isolation and alienation.

This is just one of 415 newly awarded projects which will work to positively change the lives of disadvantaged children and young people under 18 across the UK.

David Ramsden, Chief Executive of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children in Need, says: "Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our supporters we are thrilled to announce that we have raised a record amount of money which will make a real difference to young lives right across the UK."

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's recent Strategy Review identified events that bring communities and the nation together as one of the five editorial priorities for the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children in Need is a prime example of one of those great national occasions that people enjoy watching together and taking part in as a community. For a list of all April 2010 grants in each region, please see: bbc.co.uk/pudsey/grants.

Notes to Editors

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children in Need Appeal is a charity registered in England and Wales (802052) and Scotland (SC039557) whose aim is to make a positive change to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

Every year, thanks to public donations and the amazing efforts of fundraisers, schools, businesses and corporate partners, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children in Need is able to make a difference to thousands of young lives. For further small grants information and application forms or for more details on the charity please visit bbc.co.uk/pudsey/grants.

The grants section of the website shows this round of grants broken down by town but also all of the money already hard at work in each region.

Since November, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Children in Need has received thousands of applications for funding, which have been rigorously assessed and considered by eight committees who pass on their recommendations to the Trustees of the charity.

All of the grants are targeted to areas across the UK where they will make a real difference to the lives of children and young people; they are allocated geographically to ensure that all corners of the UK receive a share of the money raised by the Great British public.

LF2/HC