Fundraising fever takes over town for Children in Need

The Hairdressing Room and Beauty Lounge staff

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Fundraising fever took over the town centre yesterday (Friday 14 November) as businesses did their bit to collect money for Children in Need.

A number of organisations got involved in gathering funds for the BBC charity, which will be used to help disabled and deprived children across the UK.

The Hairdressing Room and Beauty Lounge, on St Mary’s Gate, put on a homemade cake sale for customers with the aim of raising £70 for the charity.

Staff at the salon got into the swing of things by dressing up as Children in Need’s flagship bear, Pudsey - complete with makeup and bright yellow ears.

Manager Hayley Staniland said: “It was quite a last minute thing really. We got some cakes and took donations from customers.

“We’ve not really done it before but we will after today. We’ve decided we’re going to do a little bit more. We’ll get more cakes tomorrow and just raise some more money.”

The Santander branch in The Butts saw staff in Pudsey onesies as they collected money.

Cakes were on sale in the branch and customers were encouraged to donate in an attempt to reach the £200 target. The amount raised at the branch will also be matched by Santander.

Richard Ackroyd, Branch Director at both of Rochdale’s Santander branches, said: “We’re really committed to not only our local community but charities in general and we always take part. We’ve also raised money this year for Spring Hill Hospice, the NSPCC and British Heart Foundation.”

Collections also went ahead at Rochdale Borough Council’s offices at Number One Riverside, where some staff dressed up as superheroes and took part in a number of fund-raising activities.

Fizz Amin and Julie Green, customer service staff in the Contact Centre at Number One Riverside, were among several staff members who donned costumes. They also played hoopla, office basketball and held a raffle and tombola to raise cash.