Pudsey dances and hugs children during school visit

CHILDREN at Nettlebed Community School were greeted by TV cameras and a very familiar mascot on Tuesday.

Pupils had gathered in the school playground to welcome Angelos, 19, from London, as he cycled from Oxford to London for the BBC’s Children in Need appeal.

Angelos is in remission from sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer, and was a beneficiary of Children in Need funding following his diagnosis.

He is part of The One Show’s Challenge Squad, which will feature him and three other young people who have been supported by the appeal.

The children cheered as the film crew arrived with the appeal mascot, Pudsey the bear. He danced and gave hugs as he made his way around the playground, where the children had gathered in a circle.

The One Show presenter Jermaine Jenas joined Angelos in matching neon yellow cycling gear, high-fiving and signing autographs for the children.

Angelos was greeted with posters and placards to encourage him. One read: “There’s pizza at the end” while another read: “I don’t care if you’re slow, just go, go, go”.

Jenas said to the children: “Thank you so much and keep challenging yourselves.”

Headmistress Bethany Greenwood said the children had been very excited to be involved.

“We were approached by the BBC to see if we would be interested, which we were,” she said. “They asked to interview some of the children and nearly all them wanted to be interviewed. The children are also raising money by doing the Joe Wicks burpee challenge.

“Each class is aiming to do 1,000 burpees throughout the week. They have been making loads of posters and they have been learning all about Children in Need and what it means to be charitable. Our motto at Nettlebed is ‘Reach up, reach out’, so it fits perfectly with that.”

Maria Plochocka, who is in year 6, said: “Our class has done 3,037 [burpees], 3,000 yesterday and 37 today.”

Year 2 pupil Nia Sheehan said that seeing Pudsey was “really nice”.