Emma Bunton, Rita Ora and Tom Fletcher launch BBC Children In Need appeal

Musicians Emma Bunton, Rita Ora and Tom Fletcher have launched the 2024 BBC Children In Need appeal.

The charity said it needed support, and was currently able to help one in eight of the children’s organisations who applied for funding.

To inspire people to donate, celebrities have teamed up with BBC Children In Need to share their personal stories of childhood, and one piece of advice to their younger selves that would have helped to make their lives lighter as children.

Spice Girl Bunton said: “Helping children and young people to unload any worries or anxieties they may be dealing with is so important to their overall well-being.

“Looking back on my childhood, I would tell my younger self to believe in your heart, trust yourself, be strong and be who you wannabe.”

She added that only with “generous donations can the charity continue help to lighten the load for hundreds of thousands of children who need it most”.

Other famous faces, including ex-athlete Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing and his wife Sophie Habboo, Strictly Come Dancing stars and couple Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec, comedian Lenny Rush and Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds, are also asking people to fundraise for Children In Need.

Ora said: “Being a young person in today’s society is extremely tough, there’s so many worries and challenges that can build up internally that need unloading to support young people’s well-being.

“Providing the right guidance and advice to young people can help reduce any feelings of anxiety and if I could give one piece of advice to my younger self it would be that this too shall pass.

“I’m calling on people across the UK to fundraise for BBC Children In Need this year and help lighten the load of children facing challenges across the country.”

McFly star Fletcher, together with his wife – I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! winner Giovanna Fletcher – designed this year’s official Children In Need T-shirt.

He said: “When myself and Gi got the call to design this year’s BBC Children In Need T-shirt, we jumped at the opportunity. It was so fun to reimagine what the iconic Pudsey tee could look like if we transformed it into a band-style tee celebrating all the ‘best bits’ of this amazing charity.”

The money raised funds family centres, community spaces, youth clubs and refuges; homeless shelters, hospices and helplines across the UK.