IT’S THAT time of year again when people across Hampshire go on heroic missions to help Britain’s children.

Today people across the county will be going mad for BBC Children in Need in a bid to beat last year’s fundraising total.

Thousands of Hampshire fundraisers will be dancing, baking, cycling, running, driving and dressing up to tackle last year’s UK total of £31million.

With the superhero theme returning this year there have already been a variety of crazy challenges completed by people in the county – and more are expected to take place today.

Their missions will help support 10 projects in Southampton, which are currently offered more than £360,000 in funding between them.

Pudsey-mania taking place today will include a team from Lloyds Banking Group Solent manning the phones all night to take donations, creative students from the University of Southampton hosting a catwalk show and casino event at Grosvenor Casino, cyclists will be descending on Calshot Activities Centre to complete a 260mile journey in 12 hours and students from Bitterne Park School will be donning their superhero costumes and strutting their stuff in a special assembly.

Challenges that have already taken place in Hampshire this week ahead of appeal day include staff from Egg Day Nursery near Winchester getting gunged by their pupils in all sorts of liquids to raise money, students and staff from Itchen Sixth Form College completing a fancy dress run around their campus and BBC’s One Show host Matt Baker coming to Winchester as part of his UK Rickshaw Run challenge a with six youngsters to turn on the city’s Christmas lights.

DJ'S FUNDRAISING FEAT Today is also the day that Eastleigh-born BBC Radio One DJ Scott Mills will be abseiling 400ft down the Blackpool Tower after being challenged by fellow BBC radio presenter Sir Terry Wogan.

Staff  at a Hampshire hospital had the recipe for success when they ran a cake sale for Children in Need.   
The event held by the Central Community Health team at The Royal South Hants Hospital in Southampton raised £260.
As well as an array of cakes for sale there were 20 entries in a bake-off contest which was won by clinical manager Karen White with her almond and cherry cake.
Organiser Sally Kendall said: “It went very well and all the cakes sold out in an hour and a half. We could have sold as many again if we’d had them.”

Challenges and fundraising totals will be revealed tonight during the annual appeal show which starts at 7.30pm on BBC1.