News, events and chat from Sheffield and South Yorkshire.
Stories to make you smile from across Yorkshire
BBC Look North presenters Amy Garcia and Lindsey Burrow completed an 80-mile journey around Yorkshire, pulling the programme’s red sofa for Children in Need. Their “Push for Pudsey” challenge raised almost £100,000 for good causes, while the region’s weekly uplifting stories also highlighted people bringing communities together through music, local history, sport and play.
In Pontefract, Army veteran Paul Bushnell has spent two years researching all 134 war graves in the town’s cemetery, helping families discover relatives buried there. Seventeen-year-old Keira from Thorne, who has been blind since birth, performed with the BBC Children in Need Choir after learning its song using Braille; in Harrogate, a Parkinson’s table tennis group has helped inspire a national partnership to establish more sessions. Hull City captain Lewie Coyle has also launched a street football programme encouraging children to play outdoors.
In short
- A Yorkshire sofa-pulling challenge raised almost £100,000 for good causes.
- A veteran researched 134 war graves in Pontefract.
- Music and sport are helping people connect across the region.
Explained simply
BBC Look North is the BBC’s regional news programme for Yorkshire. Children in Need is the BBC’s annual appeal, which raises money for projects supporting children and young people across the UK.
Yorkshire is a large region with towns and cities that have their own histories and community groups. Local initiatives can bring people together around shared interests, while helping preserve memories, support people with health conditions or make activities more accessible.
The people featured represent different ways communities take part in music, sport and local history. Their efforts matter to the people involved and can also draw attention to opportunities and support available in the region.