Supporting Charities
Charity is very important to our audience, and the BBC has an important role to play in supporting the generosity of the British public. We broadcast weekly appeals on BBC Radio 4 and the monthly Lifeline appeal on BBC One. There are also national appeals in Wales and Northern Ireland and local appeals in the English Regions. Serious emergencies are also given special airtime. These appeals aim to raise awareness as well as encourage donations throughout the year.
We also have an established partnership with the independent charity Comic Relief which works to help end poverty and social injustice in the UK and Africa .
BBC charities
Through the BBC's own corporate charities, we support various causes in the UK and around the globe. The three charities are:
The BBC Performing Arts Fund, for example, works to support new musical talent across a range of genres. BBC Children in Need raises huge amounts for disadvantaged children and young people through its telethons, which are broadcast annually on BBC One. Finally, BBC Media Action is funded by external grants and aims to use media and communications to reduce poverty and promote human rights in the developing world.
Sport Relief
The BBC has had a special broadcast relationship with Comic Relief since its inception in 1988. The charity raises money to help people living unimaginably tough lives, both on our doorstep in the UK and across the world's poorest countries.
Each year we broadcast their appeal show, alternating between Red Nose Day and Sport Relief. It's fitting that 2012, a year very much focused on sports in the UK, sees the return of Sport Relief, which brings the entire nation together to get active, raise cash and change lives. On Friday 23rd March the BBC broadcast appeal will kick off an action-packed fundraising weekend.
BBC One’s The One Show has joined forces with the charity, calling for 1,000 members of the public to take part in an epic relay for this year’s charity campaign. Starting on Friday 16th March, "The One Show 1000" will travel around the UK, taking it in turns to make sure someone from the group is always running, 24 hours a day for 10 days. They'll run across Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales before the grand finale into the Sport Relief Mile on the Mall on Sunday 25th March.
Due to popular demand, the brand new series of Let’s Dance for Sport Relief has returned to our screens. A host of celebrities have been wowing the nation by recreating a selection of iconic dance routines. Their aim is to win a much-coveted place in the grand final on Saturday 18th March.
Blue Peter presenter, Helen Skelton, took on her toughest challenge yet for Sport Relief by travelling 500 miles across Antarctica by ski, kite and by bike on a Polar Challenge. All the action from her Antarctic Adventure is being shown in a special nine-week series on Blue Peter.
Plus there’ll be incredible celebrity challenges, tons of top TV to enjoy and more! Find out more and donate here.
