Picture shows Derek McCulloch - 'Uncle Mac'.
The first charity appeal in The Week's Good Cause was broadcast on 24 January 1926. The appeal raised £1,025 0s 7d for the National Children's Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ and Orphanage. It was made by Charles C Wakefield, Bt, and C.B.E. The broadcast was timed to follow the Sunday Service and became a feature of Sunday evening radio. Charities swiftly realised the power of radio to touch a large audience.
Charity appeals were not new to the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ - the first was among the earliest broadcasts in 1923 - but the fundraising process was formalised in 1926 with the introduction of The Week's Good Cause and the creation of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Charity Appeals Advisory Committee. The Committee advised on the allocation of appeals and the administration of donations. The Christmas appeal for children's charities was first made in 1934 by 'Uncle Mac'. This was the precursor to the current Children in Need.
Today the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 Appeal continues every week, supporting a diverse range of UK charities, along with the monthly Lifeline appeal on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One. Large fund-raising projects such as Children in Need and Comic Relief raise millions of pounds for good causes using all platforms. The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is also able to respond swiftly to emergencies such as natural disasters with special appeals.
January anniversaries
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The Six Wives of Henry VIII
1 January 1970 -
The Brains Trust
1 January 1941 -
The Archers
1 January 1951 -
Z Cars
2 January 1962 -
Trumpton
3 January 1967 -
Open University
3 January 1971 -
Camberwick Green
3 January 1966 -
Final edition of The Listener published
3 January 1991 -
Gardeners' World
5 January 1968 -
A Question of Sport
5 January 1970 -
Forces Programme
7 January 1940 -
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit
10 January 1990 -
First in-vision television weather forecaster
11 January 1954 -
The League of Gentlemen
11 January 1999 -
Goodness Gracious Me
12 January 1998 -
Listen with Mother
16 January 1950 -
Life On Earth
16 January 1979 -
First episode of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Breakfast Time
17 January 1983 -
Blankety Blank
18 January 1979 -
The Week's Good Cause
24 January 1926 -
Under Milk Wood
25 January 1954 -
Television Dancing Club
27 January 1948 -
Desert Island Discs
29 January 1942 -
Newsnight
30 January 1980 -
The State Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill
30 January 1965 -
Alas Smith and Jones
31 January 1984