Children in Need in Bristol

The campaign helps thousands of children each year

Hundreds of organisations are using grant money from Children in Need to help improve the lives of disadvantaged children and young people.

Despite the current economic conditions, 2008's Appeal raised a record-breaking £37.8m which has helped more than 700 projects across the UK.

In the Bristol area more than £296,000 has been awarded in grants to 10 projects.

This year, Friday, 20 November, marks the 30th BBC Children in Need Appeal.

For more information on how to be a part of BBC Children In Need 2009 visit the official website.

Your fundraising efforts and donations make a huge difference to many hundreds of local youngsters.

Some of the grants will pay for activities for children with disabilities - like horse riding, sailing and holiday clubs.

Others have been awarded to organisations which provide services for young people from ethnic minorities, like Bristol Refugee Rights which is using its £29, 676 to pay for a creche.

In Bath, the Mentoring Plus project was awarded £15,100. It provides groups, activities and residential weekends as part of a mentoring programme to support disadvantaged young people, especially those who are at risk of offending.

Grants range from a few thousand pounds to large amounts which can make a big impact on a local project.

One such award has been made to the Knowle West Media Centre in Bristol which received £141,542 from Children in Need in July this year.

The BBC Director General, Mark Thompson, will be visiting the centre on Thursday to find out more about its work and how the grant will be spent on media-based activities for local youngsters.