BBC Radio Orkney to end its Children in Need telephone auction after 2026

BBC Radio Orkney has said its Children in Need telephone auction on Friday 13 November will be its final one, citing the growing demands of the BBC’s compliance process.

The news was given on the BBC Local station’s Around Orkney programme on 7 October.

In a statement, the station said: “Radio Orkney is sad to announce this year’s Children in Need fundraising telephone auction on Friday Nov 13th will be our last.”

It went on: “In this morning’s Around Orkney programme, we break the news the increasing demands of the BBC compliance process around holding the popular annual event has made it unsustainable. So, we intend to go out with a bang next month.”

The station is asking for donations of high quality items for the auction, which must reach it by Friday 6 November.

The same programme also covered SSEN’s plans for a new subsea cable link between Holm and Burray. Public consultation sessions were due to run from 2-7pm at Burray Hall that day and at Holm Hall the next. The show also carried the news, weather, sheep prices, the community diary and a preview of that week’s edition of The Orcadian.

BBC Children in Need is the BBC’s official charity and works to help disadvantaged young people and children throughout the UK. Fronted by its mascot Pudsey Bear, it supports thousands of local projects and charities addressing disability, inequality, mental health and poverty. Millions are raised each year through public donations, community events and a televised appeal every November.

The charity has a strong local presence in Orkney, where BBC Radio Orkney serves as a hub for fundraising on the islands, regularly hosting marathon broadcasts and charity auctions.

The money raised pays for services across the archipelago. Previous multi-year grants have backed Voluntary Action Orkney’s Connect project and the Orkney Youth Cafe. Smaller “Blue Sky” grants pay for weekly youth groups on smaller islands such as Rousay.