The Great Rickshaw Relay Challenge is back

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Wednesday:The Great Rickshaw Relay Challenge; (BBC1, 7.30pm)

We all love stocking up the snacks for Children in Need’s appeal night, which – make a note for your diary – takes place this year on November 19th.

There’s wall-to-wall celebrities, comedy, music and fun to be had, but the run-up to the big event has become just as interesting over the years.

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This year, we’ll be getting a Big Build Children In Need Special and The Surprise Squad for BBC Children in Need, as well as the hugely popular Great Rickshaw Relay Challenge, which is now in its 11th year and has raised a staggering more than £41 million to date.

The Great Rickshaw Relay Challenge will see Matt Baker and the team take on a relay-style ride in five chaptersThe Great Rickshaw Relay Challenge will see Matt Baker and the team take on a relay-style ride in five chapters
The Great Rickshaw Relay Challenge will see Matt Baker and the team take on a relay-style ride in five chapters

Taking place between Monday, November 1 and Friday 5, it sees Matt Baker passing the rickshaw baton between each relay stage along a route running from Somerset in Bristol, Media City in Manchester, Southport and Ulverston in Cumbria, before finishing in Edinburgh.

This year, we get a glimpse behind the scenes of the event with a one-off documentary following Matt and a team of incredibly inspiring young people, all of whom have been supported by BBC Children in Need-funded projects, as they take on the five-stage ride.

Each participant will tackle a section of the journey, travelling through their hometowns and visiting places across the UK which hold a particular significance for them along the way.

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The film will celebrate the history of this much-loved BBC Children in Need staple, while at the same time nudging us to donate whatever we can to raise a life-changing amount of money for the charity as part of its 2021 appeal.

Matt was eager to showcase how the Great Rickshaw Relay Challenge got on the road, saying: “I can’t wait to provide a behind the scenes look at the trials and tribulations over an incredible week with some inspirational young people.

“It’s been a big part of my life over the last 10 years and I’m over the moon we’ve managed to find a way of it happening again and show viewers how their donations help change young lives.”

The programme will also tell the emotional and uplifting stories of Harrison, Millie, Liv, Rainbow and Tom, the young people taking part in the Rickshaw Challenge.

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Thomas, who is 16, has been receiving weekly one-on-one counselling sessions from BBC Children in Need-funded The Space since 2018, after his mum and dad were involved in a terrible car accident that claimed his father’s life.

Sportsman Rainbow, 18, was born with anavidea mystagnus and by the age of nine lost his sight in both eyes. Today, he’s an ambassador for Children in Need-funded project, British Blind Sport.

Seventeen-year-old Olivia, or Liv, has dedicated much of her life to supporting her younger sister Jess, who was born with a rare, life-limiting chromosomal disorder and gets help from Claire House Hospice, backed by Children in Need, while 20-year-old natural entertainer and keen musician Harrison credits Sunbeams, funded by Children in Need, with helping develop his communication skills, emotional wellbeing and improved family relationships.

Finally, Millie, who is also 20, gets support from Children’s Liver Disease Foundation, another project supported by Children in Need, that offers one-to-one and online support for 11 to 24-year-olds who are experiencing liver disease.

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We’ll be spending less on snacks this year and instead will donate a few quid to what is a truly worthwhile cause.

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