FIGURES so far suggest Pudsey Bear's 21st birthday is going to be one to remember.

The BBC's Children in Need Appeal celebrated the milestone with a seven-hour broadcast on TV and radio a week ago - and, at £12m, the total so far beats 1999 by a cool £1m.

But, with pledges yet to be added to the count, the final figure could soar to about £20m.

The North-East contributed its fair share; Richmond Castle, in North Yorkshire, was the focus for live TV link-ups from the region this year where pledges totalled £354,154.

But, for one nine-year-old from Catterick Garrison, it was a disappointment.

Rachael Parker was among the members of the Richmond Dance Centre who, despite the cold, were waiting in the wings in summer dresses for their big moment, but, with seconds to go, they were told they would not be able to perform.

In a letter to The Northern Echo, Rachael wrote: "As children, we wanted to help other children in need. Instead, we left in tears."

Yesterday, producer Jim Knight, said the team "bitterly regretted" the disappointment.

He said: "A banner hung from the castle tower had been blown loose and to have allowed anyone on stage at that point would have meant putting them in danger. Unfortunately, the slot allocated to Rachael's group was within the 15 minutes it took to rectify the problem, and there wasn't time to include them."