Sara Cox is overcome with emotion as she discovers her gruelling Children In Need challenge has raised over £331k in just one day

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Sara Cox was incredibly moved when she learned her challenging fundraising effort for Children In Need brought in £331,278 in just a single day.

The five-day challenge for BBC Children in Need, Radio 2’s longest ever, began on Monday. The celebrity participant was greeted by both local residents and a group of unusual supporters.

The 50-year-old celebrity received a cheerful send-off from a bagpiper at the race’s beginning, and was greeted by alpacas upon arriving in Northumberland.

Scott Mills, host of BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show, announced on Tuesday that a recent fundraising challenge brought in over £331,000 in just one day.

Sara was completely amazed, exclaiming how incredible it was and expressing deep gratitude. She explained that every donation would directly help to improve and save lives.

Thank you! You’re really helping children and their families, making things much simpler for everyone involved.

After training for months, Sara started the second day of her Great Northern Marathon Challenge, walking from Hexham to Wolsingham despite the rainy weather.

Today is the most difficult day of the challenge, with participants climbing a steep 1,500-foot hill called Bale Hill – and they’re doing it while carrying a Pudsey Bear backpack!

Talking to Scott, Sara explained that she’s been feeling very anxious since waking up and having breakfast. She mentioned a lot of people are constantly asking about her well-being, what’s bothering her, and how she’s coping.

Okay, so leading up to it, I’m a total wreck, honestly! Seriously so nervous. But then, as the race gets closer, something amazing happens – the adrenaline just hits, and I start feeling this incredible energy. I get all hyped up and just… buzzing with excitement! It’s the best feeling ever.

We’re in a rainy parking lot near a sports track and stadium, and there are already a lot of families here with their children. Everyone has their hoods up because it’s started to drizzle.

Honestly, it just means the world to me when people take a second to say hi, especially Scott! It really gives me such a lift. And the dogs! Oh my gosh, there are so many dogs, and it’s just…perfect. It’s totally me, you know? It just fits!

Sara said the weather was really unpleasant, and she’d resigned herself to getting soaked and chilled.

I still can’t believe it! After all those months of her pushing herself, finally she was off! And get this – she carried a little Pudsey Bear backpack, can you believe it? It only weighed 270 grams! It was the perfect touch, honestly. I was practically in tears watching her go.

The goal is to bring Pudsey Bear, the famous mascot for BBC Children in Need, to Pudsey in Leeds by Friday. This journey represents bringing the charity’s message from across the UK to its core community.

Sara’s Great Northern Marathon Challenge involved walking 135 miles across four counties – Northumberland, Durham, North Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire. It’s also Radio 2’s longest challenge to date, lasting longer than any previous event.

She’s completing the entire mission under her own power – by walking or jogging – and won’t be using any vehicles like bikes or cars.

On Monday morning, Sara started her journey with encouragement from local supporters and a send-off performance by Stuart Todd of the Morpeth Pipe Band.

Andrea Foote, a trustee for the Morpeth Riding for the Disabled Association – which offers horse-riding lessons to children with disabilities – was chosen to sound the horn.

Sara plans to run as much as she can, even if it’s not always graceful. She expects some struggles along the way – she might stumble, limp, and even cry – but she’s determined to reach Pudsey in Leeds by Friday.

Tune in to Radio 2 this week for some fun surprises! And check out the Pudsey backpack – it’s incredibly lightweight, thanks to the talented team who created it. It’s so light, I’m planning to wear it on my back…

I’m hoping to accompany him all the way to Pudsey. He even has a little raincoat, which is adorable, so I’ll put it on him shortly.

To be honest, I’m not sure how he’ll be feeling by the time we reach Pudsey, but we’ll make sure we take care of each other.

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2025-11-11 14:36