Rounding off Comic Relief 2013

Knowing what we do now about Comic Relief we know that they like to round things off properly.

There is a cycle to how they work, both on a small level with maybe money being loaned to a person using a project and paid back to help others, to a bigger scale with telling fund raisers where the money goes.   Or maybe with training via a project so that a service user feels empowered.   It is not a case of just taking money from fund raisers and giving it to somebody who needs it.   It goes much deeper than that.

We get an idea of those projects and a sense of understanding of where our £1 for a red nose, or £100 for a sponsored swim has gone.    It is not just a case of saying “give us your money” and that is the last you hear about it.    It is one of the, many, reasons I love the way Comic Relief do things.

Every year there is a programme on BBC about how Comic Relief has spent some of the money raised in the previous year and some of the fund raisers are invited to tell their story of how they raised those much needed funds.   Team Honk was thrilled to be included in this year’s programme, and invited to London to film a piece this week.

Sadly one third of the original Team Honk founders, Annie, was nursing a poorly boy, and as the day went on, herself, so couldn’t make it.   But Penny, Mr B and I headed to London to a nondescript building behind Westfield last week.   The building itself and even the green room gave nothing away.   How Comic Relief had co-ordinated the arrival of a large group of the cutest baby ballerinas, I shall never know!

Forms relinquishing our “moral rights” to the recording were duly signed and after a couple of hours of waiting we were led into a Red Nose Day grotto.

A little piece had been prepared for us and was loaded on the auto cue, a first for me, never used one of those before!  We did a few run-throughs before director Toby said “right this it, this one is the final”.

We had no idea that behind us this was going on, in fact we had no idea that there was to be a “Live surprise”:

It was as I said my final words that Lenny Henry leapt out from behind the curtain and thanked Team Honk personally.   I literally jumped out of my skin!!  Penny had the red pants with her that all team members had worn to climb Snowdon.  Lenny promptly took them and put them on his head to do his piece to camera.

It was hilarious.

We have seen the video shot on a mobile and it is brilliant but are not going to share it because we want you all to see it when we do between Christmas and New Year.   We don’t know the transmission date and time yet but we will let you know as soon as we do!  We really want you to watch as this is a thank you to you too!   A big thank you to all members of Team Honk, supporters of Team Honk and those that donated to Team Honk.

So thank you.

And then it is onwards to Sport Relief 2014.   Have you signed up to one of the official events yet?  Do have a look here, there are events happening all over the UK:   Sainsburys Sport Relief Games Website

Would you also consider joining in our blogger relay?  John O Groats to Land’s End from January to March next year.  Carrying a baton on bikes, horses, kayaks, running, walking, however people choose to do it, as long as there are no motors.  Blogging their journey etc.   We would love to have you  on board, there is more info here:

TEAM HONK NEEDS YOU

Thank you thank you thank you