children in need really pisses me off

[Mightybanhammer]

I know I am being unreasonable but I really do dislike it and can't quite articulate why.
Prefer to choose my charities rather than have it thrust down my throat I suppose.
Anyone else?

The programme was crap last year, so won't bother with it this. year.

Pisses me off too, but I'm lucky enough to not have a telly, so I mostly avoid it. Same goes for Red Nose Day. I have no idea what it is about them I don't like, and can't really be arsed to analyse it. I do my monthly donations to charities of my choice, and feel fine with that :)

My charity is hoping to apply for some funds next year, we run a drop in coffee group for parents of children diagnosed with autism ...or having difficulties in other areas. We are the only group locally offering this support and we’d like to have a permanent place to hold our group. CIN funding would help that....by supporting the parents we support the child.

Tedster77, that's good to know

delores that sounds great, good luck! I wish we had something like that locally

double bill of eastenders last night,we still have emmerdale and corrie

@Sirzy,

I know that and I am pleased that your family has benefited.

I suppose in my head I think there should NEVER be a need for fundraising for kid's special needs, but I would be totally deluded to think that.

I just hope it is all accounted for and there is no CEO earning a ton or more from organising it all. Are there any accounts as to how these donations are dispersed. Sorry for being cynical. But needs must sometimes.

When you don't have questions, it can balloon into something no one really envisaged.

Hopefully that is not the case.

I have worked for 2 CIN projects in the past The money does go actual CIN but you don't have to like the programme though fwiw big charities do have admin costs

yes it does piss me off. I don't watch it but for the last 2 weeks it's been constant in my face and u can't get away from it. Even school it was £1 to do non school uniform (fair enough don't mind that to much) but then when I pick her up 1 of the teachers goes "cake sale is in the hall" and directs her arm as if to give me directions when I said oh we aren't staying she got her this real snotty look on her face.
yes I feel really bad that there are children in need in this day and age but my own children are my priority and we are not well off (or even breaking even some weeks) so I find it a bit humiliating if I'm honest

I've never watched it, ever.

There will always be admin costs including wages which any large charity needs to cover. But when the outlay allows them to raise such substantial amounts of money which can help provide services which can literally be life changing then it is well worth it.

I agree.

All these services provided by charitable donations should be supplied as a right, from our taxes.

I never see an "Elderly in Need" show. Ah that would never tug on the heartstrings would it, like looking at kids. But they require help too.

Services are underfunded everywhere, and it will only get worse.

The youth organisation I volunteered with also runs a quiz night on CIN night. It's popular as there's bugger all else on telly if you don't want to watch it.

I don't watch it obviously. Although I caught a trailer about some people doing songs from the musical Oliver

The whole thing is hard to avoid though. It is sentimental blackmail.

I give generously to a range of charities- all properly researched before I part with my hard earned cash. I don't need an evening of fifth rate nonsense on telly to persuade me.

November is like Groundhog Day on MN. First we have the moaning about poppies then we have the whining about Children in Need.

If you don't like it don't join in or don't watch it. It's simple really.

I let my kids join at school dress up take in a pound and buy a cake but no I don't watch the tv show and I don't buy all the merchandise. I feel much the same about comic relief.

To people who say they'd rather support small local charities, it's my understanding that most of the projects CIN supports are exactly that - small local projects which would otherwise struggle to receive much attention or funding.

I personally can't stand the programme, and haven't watched it since I was a child, but some of the projects CIN raises money for, which I've heard about seem really worthwhile to me. Also I believe that they raise more and more money each year, so clearly a lot of other people are happy to support it.

Children in need is vulgar. Sick of celebs claiming they care about others and every work place seems to have someone organising a children in need cake sale just to look good.

I think if it was just being used to fund nice additional things around the edges of health/social care/young people's services then it would be fine.

As it is, we have seriously underfunded NHS & SS and are being asked by celebs and tax avoiders, some of whom earn more in 1 year than most of us will in a lifetime, to give cash.

Sticks in the throat a bit.

I'm rather pissed off with it at the moment, because of the amount of airtime it's getting on both national and local BBC news.

It's not just a case of choosing to watch/not watch the main and related programmes. I watch the news because I'm interested in the news, not a programme that's gong to be on later.

I dont agree with how they administer the money, they have a massive amount stockpiled like 90 million and its invested in the stock market in arms and tobacco companies etc.
I think they shouldnt be sitting on this amount they should be using it and when they are down to like 5 million then asking the public again.They are not transparent about what they are doing either.
I wont donate to them because its basically corrupt.

I don't like it either. My dc were meant to wear something spotty for CiN day. They don't have any spotty clothes and there was no merchandise left in the shop when I went.

They could have decorated a plain white T-shirt, which then wastes a perfectly good item of clothing as they'll never wear it again; and me buying and drawing all over a plain white T-shirt doesn't actually give any money to the charity.

In the end, I bought a generic spotty T-shirt from Amazon (you know, that company that's so well known for its ethics and morals) and again, nothing actually went to CiN. I felt like I had no choice but to buy my dc something spotty though because they were in an assembly this morning so I was kind of held over a barrel.

I hate feeling forced or coerced into giving money that I don't have (we are absolutely skint - I'm £500 overdrawn and we don't get any more money for another 2 weeks) for charity that I am dubious about (how much actually goes to children in need? How much does it cost for all this merchandise? How much do these tax-dodging millionaire celebrities donate?) when I could give to a local charity with fewer overheads and has less of a 'look at how kind and charitable we are' feel about it.

I’ve been shopping today and numerous shops asked me to donate at the till as part of my payment.

I don’t mind the donation bit for CIN. I was once a child who needed help and never had it, I always hope others find it. I no longer donate to Comic Relief, after reading that much of the money doesn’t reach its intended source.

I don’t watch any tv marathon for charity anymore - I remember a good few years ago when I was absolutely dirt poor, David Tennant basically shouting at the screen ‘it doesn’t matter how little you have, these people need it more’. I just thought, you absolute twat. You will make more money this year than I’ll see in my lifetime, yet you’re telling me I need to give money? So some rich fucker demanding my money doesn’t make for good viewing for me.