WHEN it comes to supporting Children in Need, the people of Basingstoke and north Hampshire really deliver.

Last Friday was the 30th anniversary of the popular annual BBC-driven appeal – and fundraisers of all ages made sure money, money, money was raised locally as they played their part in adding to an appeal that has topped £1.3million in the south and £20m nationwide.

At BMW Financial Services in Bartley Way, Hook, more than 70 staff volunteered during Friday evening’s telethon to take telephone calls – and tens of thousands of pounds in donations – from the public.

Dealer support manager Kate Bouchard said: “The public love to tell you their stories and talk about what’s on the live BBC Children in Need night show. It’s really good fun.”

The evening was a culmination of activities at the call centre to raise money for the charity. Staff held a special Hallowe’en pub quiz, a golf event, ran a money mile – following coins laid out in a line – around the office and filled a BMW with balloons before guessing how many were inside.

And unfortunately for sales advisor Jack Munford, 23, who has a phobia of balloons but said he would pop them if £100 was raised, the workers quickly rustled up £110 for Children in Need.

A marathon effort – or double marathon effort – helped the total raised at Beechdown Health Club, in Winchester Road, Basingstoke, top £1,150.

Alan Haresign, 48, ran non-stop for 10 hours on a treadmill and Jenna Gallagher, 30, cycled for the same length of time beside him while a series of other club members joined them for stints of between 30 minutes and two hours on a second treadmill.

Alan, of Highdowns, Hatch Warren, said: "I watch Children in Need every year. You feel guilty watching it on television and not doing anything."

The IT consultancy worker ran 56 miles, slightly more than the distance between BBC television studios and the club, during his 10 hour stint, while his cycling partner clocked up 247 miles on the bike.

The club also held a couple of children's pyjama parties, a raffle and a competition on a piece of gym equipment.

Pyjamas were also all the rage at Hatch Warren Infant and Junior Schools in Basingstoke where £1,000 was raised. Staff and pupils also wore crazy hair and danced whenever music was piped into classrooms.

Year 8 pupils Gemma Wildash, 12, Ollie Butler, 13, and Conor Norris, 12, ran four-and-a-half miles from Gemma's home in Winchester Street, Overton, to their school, Testbourne Community School, in Micheldever Road, Whitchurch - the furthest any of them had ever run.

Gemma said: "We all do some running and we thought it would be a bit of fun to raise money by running to school." It certainly worked as the trotting trio pulled in £250.