To disagree with Children in need

[BrokenBrit]

Perhaps I should preface this and say I do give to charity and I recognise we don’t live in a fair and decent society where services are properly funded.

However, I think it’s pretty shameful having children plastered all over the tv revealing their private medical diagnosis so as to get some money for essential funding.

I also hate the narrative of disabled people needing pity and charity with the sad music and dimmed lights (I’ve not watched it this year but that has been previous years experience!). Either that or as some sort of inspiration! I just hate this narrative!

Then there are the jolly celebs making themselves feels good singing a song and raising a few £ when what really needs is change to policy and practice, a properly funded NHS, proper provision for children with SEND and much, much more. But let’s donate a quid and feel good about ourselves hey.

AIBU?

Terrible programme. Mawkish sentimentality. Outdated. Too many 'celebs' and so called stars desperately trying to prop up their flagging careers. Virtue signalling at its worst

Forgive me for not coughing up the cash I need to pay my gas bill, no matter how much a multimillionaire celebrity asks me too:

Eh? Pretty sure they’re not being seen in either way!

Pretty sure they wouldn’t appear if they didn’t want to!

It’s competitive as a charity to get money from CIN and there is a process of due diligence before the grant is awarded and then in reporting and impact.

for everyone who is saying that the government should be doing all this; yes they should. What are you doing to communicate this and hold them to account? Anything at all?

Because dying people are not a priority! Most hospices are charities, but don’t know if any that aren’t, and receive a small proportion of government funding. The modern hospice movement was founded by a woman doctor, Cecile Saunders, who thought hospital palliative care was under par. A lot of children’s hospices provide huge amounts of respite care and long term support - people, if they have a choice, prefer children to die at home and hospices support that.

i used to work in a hospice and every time at public events we had someone come up to us and say they didn’t donate as they thought govt should pay for us, my colleague would ask them what they were doing to make that happen. It was always nothing.

Wow 🙁 What a sad comment!!

Good grief, such cynicism over his awesome achievement for charity….. wow 😯

My town runs a Christmas Shopping Evening that usually coincides with Black Friday but this year was a week early. Which meant that the vast majority were not watching Children in Need. Neither was it mentioned by anyone attending...not even the special guests. Ironically I'd seen a post suggesting that the person turning on our lights would be doing something for CiN...which of course I disputed as I knew they'd be switching on the lights!

I'm also getting very irritated by the emphasis on it being BBC Children in Need. It makes it sound like kids who watch ITV won't get support.

I haven't watched any of it but I'd be interested to know if the puppeteers/Muppeteers on MasterChef were the genuine originals if anyone knows.

Do you sincerely believe very wealthy people sit around watching Children In Need on a Friday night. I don't know I can't imagine it but perhaps.

Agreed with the OP already, but I suspect some of the celebrities do it to raise their profiles. Cynical maybe.

Of course change to policy and practice is needed, but that's the case for pretty much every charitable organisation. No charities would be needed if policy and practice in that charity's field were adequate. You might as well say you don't agree with Shelter because housing policy should be better, or you don't agree with Macmillan because cancer nursing should be properly funded through the NHS, or you don't agree with the RSPCA because animal welfare crimes should be prosecuted by a specialist police unit, or you don't agree with Oxfam because the government should be giving more in overseas aid. The list is endless.

Personally, I never watch Children In Need because it's terrible TV, and I rarely donate because I tend to donate to other charities year-round, but I couldn't say I 'disagree' with it.

As it happens I'm going to the Senedd tomorrow to speak to members about funding for care and treatment of a particular disability, at an event I persuaded them to put on. What are you doing?

The Government don’t fund anything.
it is the taxpayers who do the funding.

i totally agree

Same old discussion every year.

Rich people asking poor people for money.

If you must have something every year why children why not animals or old people.

@SparklyBiscuit
Zombie thread !

I was a child desperately in need and got bugger all support. I can't watch it as it makes me remember all the shit I went through.

just dont watch any of them i find them these charlty donations tv comics relief and children in need out dated and just all the time asking for money many of us do not have its been going on for so many years. Maybe its time to pull the plug on these shows i can not work due to ill health and disability and yet every year i got things like this rammed down my throat asking me to donate money its not just a few pounds either

i never watch any of them at all it annoys me every year

Good post. They don't give out individual grants either.
Why can't a parent apply if they have a child in need.

i disagree with it, whenever I watch it it seems all the money goes towards charities helping kids get into sports. I don’t really care about that, what I care about is children having food and drink not whether they can play sports!

There are other charities though that give grants to individual people / families such as as family fund .

From what I have seen tonight there were loads of different charities, one thst gave beds to children who didn't have one
And supporting children with various disabilities etc

That’s not true they support all kinds of different charities, not just sport ones at all.