To hate Children in Need?

[Runny]

I probably am because it raises money for such good causes, but I find the whole television spectical really toe curlingly awful to watch.Every year it's the same old, the BBC newsreaders doing an 'hilarious' song and dance skit, the cast of Eastenders having a sing song and an endless stream of insincere celebrities who are only taking part to make themselves look good.

I really want to like it, but just can't. On the other hand I love Comic Relief and look foreward to that. CiN just leaves me cold.

[Lucy7400]

Yanbu. I never watch it. Its very 70s in its approach.

[jetSTAR]

Surely the point is that the celebs DO donate their time for free? That's what I always thought???

[JustAnotherSadOldNumber]

I would like to know how much these celebs are being paid to take part - don't think think they do it free out of the goodness of their own hearts

Terry wogan got some knd of bouns to present didn't he, after it was exposed it stopped, but for a good portion of the time he got something.

[FlimFlamMam]

I don't donate to CIN because it's a big umbrella organisation but I do donate to some of the individual causes highlighted in the shows.

[SoleBizzz]

My DS is severely disabled and in eighteen years I dI'd not think he had ever benefited from CIN money until this year. DS uses a two hour Saturday group every other week supported by CIN money...

They're hoping the funding continues.

[Vango]

The whole idea was to accept charitable donations and make a difference to childrens' lives. But CIN are squirreling the money like any other big banker.

This really isn't true you know.

CiN allocates all the money raised, annually. The grants that are paid out aren't paid in lump sums. The money in reserve has already been allocated. No properly run charity would release all the money up front without making sure that each year's grant was properly monitored and reported on. And remember, CiNs administration costs are funded out of the interest raised on those reserves so that your pound does indeed go straight to the grant recipient.

Give or don't give. Watch or don't watch. But don't present Daily Mail anti-BBC 'reporting' as any kind of fact.

Children in Need's accounts are publicly available.

[gillybeanz]

I don't watch it, nor dress up at work in my pj's, nor do I donate.
i like to give to the individual local charities that really need the money and you know where it's going.

[LouisvilleLlama]

Surely the point is that the celebs DO donate their time for free? That's what I always thought???  you mean like people who bake/ do other random things to help fund raise...

[AlexaTwoAtT]

Makes me cringe. Attention-seeking, so called celebrities asking other people to donate. Hate it.

[Shadowboy]

Same. I donate every year but hate the programme. I find it tedious and awkward.

[Namechangeemergency]

My workplace is on it tonight.

[BakeOffBiscuits]

I've worked in a nursery where a lot of children with additional needs, attend. It recieve money almost every year form this charity and would close down without these donations. It angers me that we need to beg money for a charity, but I've seen the good it can do for the children and their parents.

I actually don't like watching the programme but I always donate.

[gillybeanz]

JustAnother

The musicians get paid and I could tell you a story about good old TW, but I won't as I don't like to speak ill of the dead.
Local celebs and presenters are paid too, the ones where they link to your local area.
The TV presenters are on a fair whack it was 7k about 15 years ago iirc.

[tabulahrasa]

The 90 million isn't a buffer...it's the money already allocated to projects, they pay set amounts annually for a set number of years, it's that money so that they're never in the position of promising money to projects that are then relying on it and then they're short and can't pay it.

Also recommended buffers for charities is at least 6 months running costs, so for large charities that is large amounts of money.

[ragz134]

YANBU. It totally ruined radio for me today and there is no way in hell I would watch it on TV!

[BakeOffBiscuits]

One of the many reasons the charity Kids Company went bust was because they didn't have a buffer.

[Toocleverbyhalf2]

Blimey, this post is so refreshing. I thought I was the only one who hated it! A few years ago I looked up how the money was distributed & in my area ( the whole of the south west, from Bristol down) received £150,00. If that is spread across the country at that level, there's no way that it adds up to the £30 million they raised that year.

Could someone do the maths for me? Lol

What really grips me though, is the pressure at school. I'm fiercely opposed to children in need, but my child doesn't understand this so I have to go along with it so that he isn't singled out among his peers. Really annoys me! Grrrr lol

[pullingmyhairout1]

I can't abide it either. Yadnbu

[DoYouRememberJustinBobby]

I have never watched it since my friend and a group of her course mates worked back stage during the early nougties as part of some uni thing - looking after the celebs and running errands. She was treated like crap, told by her superior she wasn't dressed "slutty enough" and felt up by big names.

[Vango]

Rosie Mail? Telegraph? There's not a huge difference really.

If CiN give a 3 year grant to a Support Worker, say £60K, they'll release £20k in the first year and hold £40k in reserve. There are many good reasons to do this, not least to ensure that the money is being used properly by the project but also to guarantee the future of the post so that projects aren't worrying about whether their next year's funding is going to come from. Does that not make sense?

[jetSTAR]

LouisvilleLlama you mean like people who bake/ do other random things to help fund raise...

YES