Nov 17, 2012 00:00 GMT Donation calls handled by BT’s newcastle call centre totalled £84,710 as 2012 raises £26,757,446 so far...

Children in Need donation calls handled by volunteers at BT’s Newcastle call centre totalled £84,710 on Friday night. 120 volunteers took thousands of donation calls during the seven hour telephone frenzy.

BT handled more than 182,000 calls from viewers across the country during Friday night’s BBC Children in Need Appeal Show, marking 32 years of support since the first Appeal Show in 1980.

More than £26,757,446 had been raised for BBC Children in Need 2012 by 2am - and millions more is expected to pour in over the coming weeks as people send through all the monies raised at fundraising events across the UK.

As well as providing the complex network infrastructure that enables the BBC Children in Need donation phone number to be routed from callers across the country to the participating call centres, BT provides call centre support and hundreds of BT staff volunteers to take donation calls every year.

Liz Williams, BT Retail’s general manager sustainable business, said: “BT has been providing integral support for the BBC Children in Need appeal since the very first telethon in 1980. BT staff at call centres in , Lincoln, Warrington, Newcastle and Glasgow were among thousands of volunteers who manned phone lines across the country taking donations from tens of thousands of callers. .

“With BT’s help, BBC Children in Need has raised more than £650 million since it began. This is a milestone we can all be proud of.”

BT also used the giant LED display at the BT Tower to project an animation of Pudsey Bear, visible across the London skyline.

Coverage of the BBC Children In Need 2012 Appeal was hosted by Sir , who has been awarded life presidency of the charity. The seven-hour broadcasting marathon is the BBC's biggest broadcasting event which links BBC centres all over the country.

The donation lines are still open on 0345 733 2233.

ENDS

For more information, visit www.btplc.com

Enquiries about this news release should be made to the BT regional press office on its 24-hour number: 0800 085 0660. All news releases can be accessed at our web site: http://www.bt.com/newscentre

For more information, visit www.btplc.com About BBC Children in Need The BBC Children in Need Appeal is a charity registered in England and Wales (802052) and Scotland (SC039557) whose aim is to make a positive change to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

BBC Children in Need’s vision is that every child in the UK has a safe, happy and secure childhood and the chance to reach their potential. We will realise this vision by supporting, promoting and publicising work that addresses the challenges that children and young people face and work that builds their skills and resilience. About BT

BT’s purpose is to use the power of communications to make a better world. It is one of the world’s leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband, TV and internet products and services; and converged fixed-mobile products and services. BT consists of four customer-facing units: Consumer, Enterprise, Global and Openreach.

For the year ended 31 March 2019, BT Group’s reported revenue was £23,428m with reported profit before taxation of £2,666m.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

For more information, visit www.btplc.com

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