Whopping £2.5m raised by the West Midlands for Children in Need

Last night the nation tuned-in to be entertained by Sir Terry Wogan and the usual combination of celebrity cameos - with £32.6 million raised by the early hours of this morning.

And across the Black Country and Staffordshire people have been carrying out their own fundraising activities.

Fred Hamar, Deputy Manager at the Queens Square Wolverhampton branch of Natwest bank, had his head shaved as part of the efforts.

Staff set a target of raising £200, with Fred agreeing to shed his shoulder length locks if they managed to raise the money.

The bank branch clocked up a total of £500, leaving Fred with no option but to say goodbye to his hair.

Customer Services Officer, Sharon Lett, said: "As soon as he verbally agreed to take part in the head shave, we put posters up so he couldn't back out.

Fred was not alone in deciding to lose his hair for the cause.

In Stafford a convoy of driving instructors turned out for the first ever Children in Need Big Learner Relay.

Driving instructors started the relay in Ireland on October 30.

Convoys then travelled the UK until November 14, finishing up in Birmingham - and calling at Stafford's Asda car park on the way.

The aim was to relay a 'top box' - the kind that driving instructors have on top of their cars - from one driving instructor to another.

Their pupils then drove with the box, which had Pudsey Bear perched on it, along their part of the route as the lead car.

Cannock driving instructor Jilly Shepherd took part in the Stafford event.

"I am so proud to say I have been a part of the event," Jilly said.

"Asda staff were very helpful. We were able to use their car park, they brought Pudsey out to see us and they had collection buckets."

Eight-year-old Amy Patel from Tipton has lost eight inches of hair in her bid to support this year's appeal.

She decided she wanted to do her bit for charity after finding out about the work of the Little Princess Trust which make wigs for children who have lost their own through cancer treatment.

Amy says she had been fed-up of combing the knots at the bottom of her hair and hopes she will help others who lose their hair feel more special.

But not happy to help just one cause, the Tipton Green Junior School pupil decided she wanted to raise money for Children in Need at the same time.

So far she has raised more than £150 for the appeal.

In Heath Town, Wolverhampton, more than 150 people packed into Holy Trinity Church, to see a variety show.

The entertainment was organised by charity Re-entry which helps children who are not in school in the Wolverhampton area.

The charity has received funds from Children in Need in the past.

The show included music performances, dance groups, African drummers and a story teller.

It was organised by Fran Oliver and Lucy Jackson who work for the charity.

Miss Oliver said: "Because we have had money from Children in Need in the past, we wanted to fundraise for them.

"It was the first time we have done this and it was a great success. We believe we have raised around £300 which is a tremendous effort.

And in Walsall, staff at Ormiston Shelfield Community Academy gave their pupils a special treat, pulling together to put on an 'S Factor' variety show.

Acts included classic Jon Bon Jovi and something a bit more modern with Sam Smith, but it was the PE department which ran out winners with their rendition of One Direction.

Other events at the school – which held a non-uniform day – included a sponsored silence, cake sales and girls, in honour of Pudsey, were encouraged to remove make-up and go 'bear-faced'.

A parent come rapper from Walsall helped to record a song alongside pupils to raise money for the appeal.

Jason Webster was joined by students at Hydesville Tower, where his seven year-old daughter Jade attends, to create their own version of Search For The Hero by M People.

Mr Webster, aged 42, has been a keen rapper since his late teens and the lyrics are about the match and the fundraising for Children In Need.

"It was my idea to come up with the song," he said. "I did it one morning, I woke up and decided to write it. I wanted to get the kids involved in singing.

"I approached the school and asked is there any chance we could get the children to sing on the chorus.