Today, BBC Children in Need has announced an incredible year for 2017, where over £60.7million was raised to help change the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

In contribution towards this total, Boots UK customers and colleagues also celebrated their best-ever year of fundraising, raising an incredible £1.559million for the charity.

Elizabeth Fagan, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Boots, comments: “Every year our customers and colleagues do exceptional things to raise valuable funds for BBC Children in Need, and they have been doing so for over 14 years. This is a fantastic total raised this year, and it demonstrates what an important charity they are, and the real difference that they’re making to help more young people grow their confidence, resilience and self-belief.”

The 2017 total is the culmination of the efforts of every single person across the UK who did something to raise money.

Boots colleagues and customers took part in in an array of fundraising challenges, in support of the new Boots UK ‘Go Bright for Pudsey’ campaign. Throughout the campaign, Boots customers and colleagues had fun creating their own bright ‘looks’; with everything from glitter beards, colourful hair and make-up, to neon nails!

Money raised by Boots UK for BBC Children in Need will go on to fund projects which help disadvantaged children and young people better cope with the adversity they face, by building their confidence and resilience.  The projects will help the young people to reach their full potential by encouraging them to better believe in themselves and what they can achieve in life.

BBC Children in Need is currently supporting over 2,600 projects across the UK that are helping children and young people facing a range of disadvantages such as living in poverty, being disabled or ill, or experiencing distress, neglect or trauma. In the last year alone, BBC Children in Need has been able to make a real difference to 582,000 young lives in communities the length and breadth of the UK.  

Speaking of the total, Simon Antrobus, Chief Executive of BBC Children in Need, said: “People across the UK should be feeling incredibly proud.  It is hard to put into words what an enormous impact this money will have on the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK who need it most. To our fantastic supporters who made this possible, and who once again went above and beyond to make a difference: thank you, we couldn’t have done it without you.” 

For more information about BBC Children in Need, please visit www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey.