ONCE again, Children in Need is nearly here, and Redditch Lions Club will once again be collecting in the Kingfisher Centre.

The first Children in Need took place in 1927 when a radio appeal was made on Christmas Day.

It was only in November 1980, when the first ‘Telethon’ with Terry Wogan took place, that Redditch Lions got involved with raising funds.

The club collected in the town centre - the Kingfisher Centre was yet to be completed - and donations were put towards the BBC’s aim of raising £1 million.

Several club members in typical Lions style, rushed off to Pebble Mills Studios with a massive cardboard cheque hoping to get on TV.

Since that first collection, the club has collected donations every year in the Kingfisher Centre and passed the donations to the BBC’s appeal. To date, a conservative estimate of the total contributions from the people of Redditch have well exceeded £50,000.

A spokesman said: “It is always very heartwarming to see each year the number of regular people who come to us in the Kingfisher Centre with their own collections that they have saved up over the previous 12 months to donate towards the appeal.

“So, us members of your local Lions Club very much look forward to meeting you again and seeing old faces from previous years in Worcester Square on Friday, November 16 from 9am-4pm.

“If you come early, there will be a number of Children in Need items that can be bought and the money paid will swell the total donation to be forwarded to the charity.”

The club is currently updating its website, giving more detail of who it is and what it does, both welfare-wise and socially, details of how to get involved with the work it does and how to become a member.

It will be completed over the next few weeks and can be viewed at redditchlions.org.