YOUNGSTERS from Corbridge First School took up the call from this year’s Children in Need campaign to “Be A Hero” with gusto.

From Disney story heroines, such as Princess Anna from Frozen , to everyday champions, including nurses and police officers, children spent the day in character as part of a fund-raising, non-uniform event last Friday.

To further boost their total, pupils were encouraged to get creative in the kitchen at home for a school bake sale.

Headteacher Jen Ainsley said: “Parents and families were really supportive and were happy to take up the bake-off challenge with the children at home.

“Lots of cakes and buns came into school and were sold at the end of the day, with over £400 raised.”

School cook Zoe Dobson and kitchen assistant Hazel Bowman were given the tough job of selecting an overall bake-off winner from each class.

Hundreds of pounds was also raised for Children in Need by staff and students from a Tynedale college.

Young people from Cambian Dilston College near Corbridge, which caters for students with learning disabilities, donned costumes for their annual fancy dress fun run on Friday.

Sponsorship was collected by the 45 participants who tackled a mile-long course around the college grounds, which is home to the historic Dilston Castle and Chapel.

Administrator Catherine Lincoln said: “The students are always really enthusiastic about supporting good causes and some even did as many as eight laps of the route.”

Cakes and other treats baked by students were also sold in the college cafe to raise over £460.

Over in Prudhoe, a cake sale and a special appearance from Pudsey Bear himself raised over £200.

Rebecca Fothergill of Julie’s Top Shop in the town got busy in the kitchen, creating special Children in Need cakes to sell.

And colleague Jill Corbett was sponsored to dress as Pudsey Bear for a day in the shop.

A raffle was also held, and overall £251.30 was raised for the charity.

Rebecca said: “My cousin is a young carer so it is a cause that is close to my heart.

“It was a really fun day; we had a lot of children coming in wanting their picture taken with Pudsey.

“This is my second year fund-raising in the shop and I will definitely do it again. It’s so much fun to have a laugh with customers while raising money for a good cause.”

On Sunday, youngsters from the age of four upwards were among the 57 members of Terpsichore who gathered at the dance school’s Hexham studio to raise funds for Children in Need.

Taking part in a nationwide event designed by the Performers Project to seize the world record for the biggest mass participation dance from Thailand, they began tapping at 1pm precisely.

Imogen Hollingsworth, owner of Terpsichore, said: “The little ones were incredibly excited as we waited for the text message to say ‘go!’

“They had worked their socks off to learn the routine and what struck m e when we were practising was how much they enjoyed being able to physically take part in Children in Need.

“In the process they were getting fit, having fun and raising money all at the same time - it was definitely a win-win!”

The £570 raised came from the £10 each of them had paid to take part.

Dance teacher Kay Sams, who was the link with the Performers Project, had also gone one step further, said Imogen.

“She stayed up baking most of the night on Saturday, so she could run a cake stall too.”

The proceeds from that, along with a couple of donations from parents, added another £60 or so to the coffers.

The tappers will find out in around a fortnight’s time whether they have beaten the 5,250 people who set Thailand’s record.