Thousands of pounds were raised as people got creative for the appeal, which distributes money to organisations supporting children around the UK.

Residents, schools and businesses took part in activities last week and the week before.

Pottery Primary School, on Kilbourne Road, raised £1,120 on Friday, November 14, with a day of Greek food tasting, Guess The Teacher, Christmas cracker-making, and other activities.

Treetops Nursery, in Duffield, managed a total of £501 by staging a prison lock-in. A real police officer went down to the nursery to lock up the nursery manager and deputy manager and £500 had to be raised before they could be released.

The Helen O'Grady Drama Academy was hoping to raise around £500 with a special session where members came dressed as their favourite character from a story.

Several sponsored walks were also held in aid of Children in Need.
Staff from Graphic Results, on Bridge Street, raised more than £600 through a walk from their store in Chesterfield to Belper.

Ten-year-old Jessica Cooke, of Penn Street, also completed a sponsored walk from her home to Allestree, where her grandparents live. She was joined on the six- mile walk by her mum and her grandad. The Pottery Primary School student raised a total of £104.

Jessica said: "I did it for the children who have hardly got anything."
More than £20 million had been raised for Children in Need by the end of the appeal night on Friday, November 14, which saw seven hours of entertainment on BBC 1.

The total for the East Midlands was £784,975.

David Ramsden, chief executive for the charity, said: "I am completely overwhelmed by the way the country has come together in support of BBC Children In Need, demonstrating such generosity in these tough times, and I'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone involved.

We can now focus our attention on finding more great projects that can change young lives for the better."