MEETING PUDSEY BEAR!

A team from Head Office took a very large cheque to the live BBC Children In Need show on Friday night. But it wasn't as smooth as it should have been. A big accident on the M4 meant the team were delayed at the service station en route but the intrepid Goodfields managed to pick up speed eventually and arrive with enough time to put baby Morgan down for the night!

Here he is keeping an eye on the cheque!
And here are the girls sharing the moment with the intrepid Pudsey Bear.

Sir Terry Wogan spotted the cheque during the evening and the Academy had their mention on air. Well done to all those concerned, they all had a fabulous time. Sadly, Morgan wasn't allowed to attend!

THE CHEQUE FOR SIR TERRY!

Training Manager, Margaret Darley, seen above centre with South Wales Principal and Training Supervisor, Becky Goodfield (R) and her Manager, Helen Ward, were lucky enough to attend a special reception at the BBC on Friday before joining the audience for the second half of the big Children In Need extravaganza.

The South Wales branch of the Academy raised more than £2,000 towards the final total and Becky was very proud to present the cheque to Sir Terry Wogan live on air. It was a star studded evening, with the second half opened by Sir Tom Jones and featuring, among others, Heaven 17, Pixie Lott and Maroon 5, as well as excerpts from several West End shows.

Fundraising will continue until the end of the year so it is not too late to be involved. Visit our website http://www.helenogrady.co.uk/ for full details or send your donation to the address on this blog. Raising money for Children In Need has become an annual event for all branches of the Academy and it was wonderful to have a prescence at the show.

The only slight disappointment of the evening was the fact Take That were performing on the earlier show and the girls had to be content with seeing their performance on the big screen in the reception - and knowing they were actually in the same building!

This is as close as Margaret got to Take That!

NATIONAL TALKING DAY! 2010

Today, WEDNESDAY 10th NOVEMBER, is NATIONAL TALKING DAY! Children in drama classes all around the country will be talking with their families and with their teachers to raise money for BBC Children In Need.

Famous for its strong belief in verbal communication, the Helen O'Grady Drama Academy launched National Talking Day! in 2009 and, through sponsorship, its students raised almost £40,000. This year the target is £50,000.

The talking is not restricted to children. Business people, politicians and celebrities have been encouraged to join in too. And it's not too late to participate. The talking goes on right up to the 19th November when a team from Helen O'Grady Head Office will present a cheque on the television show. Visit http://www.helenogrady.co.uk/ for full information.

HELEN O'GRADY NATIONAL TALKING DAY! IN AID OF BBC CHILDREN IN NEED

Following the huge success last year, the Helen O'Grady Drama Academy is proud to once again host NATIONAL TALKING DAY! on Wednesday 10th November 2010, followed by a whole week of talking for money in its after school classes.

Last year, children in drama classes around the country spent a few minutes talking to parents, to teachers and to each other to raise money for BBC Children In Need. The same will be happening again in a few weeks time.

The Academy has once again set a target of £50,000 which it hopes to present, on national television, to Sir Terry and Tess at the Big Night In on Friday 19th November.

Schools and businesses will also have the opportunity to be involved, check back here for more information very soon.

The Academy is in the business of developing communication skills and this will be happening big time in November. Once again we ask everyone to "Put your money where your mouth is!" and join the country in conversation on 10th November.