Record £1.7m raised for children

Pupils at an Ipswich school giving a performance of YMCA

Children in Need in the eastern counties has raised a record total of £1,765,774 this year and money is still coming in.

Last year £1.6m was raised in the East through a variety of "silly" and "serious" activities.

This year was much the same Children in Need producer Shaun Peel said.

Activities centred on a Strictly Come Dancing spectacle at Cambridge where 12 BBC Look East and local radio station presenters partnered the professionals.

"I want to thank everyone who displayed such generosity to help us reach a new record especially in the current financial climate," Mr Peel said.

Fancy dress

"Our region is traditionally one of the biggest contributors to Children in Need and last year was second only to London.

"Once again the East has shown its generosity helping us to achieve another record amount."

Fundraising has centred on BBC radio stations in Luton, Chelmsford, Ipswich, Northampton, Cambridge and Norwich.

In Norfolk a fancy dress raft race was held while in Essex two men took a cold November dip in the sea at the seaside towns of Frinton, Dovercourt and Clacton.

The science park in Cambridge organised a fancy dress fun run and 650 pupils at a school in Ipswich did a sponsored rendition of the Village People hit YMCA.

Luke Ashmead from BBC Three Counties radio met up with Charley Boorman, who went the Long Way Down and the Long Way Round with Ewan McGregor.

At the Sir Harry Smith college in Whittlesey 1,058 people took part in a conga and hope to have set a new world record.

At Northampton General hospital one of the consultants was soaked in water from giant syringes and Saints rugby players had their heads shaved.