PUDSEY Bear paid a visit to a Hampshire care home to help launch a fundraising extravaganza in aid of the BBC’s Children in Need appeal.

The official mascot of the annual appeal called in at Colten Care’s Belmore Lodge, to join participants at the start of a bike ride challenge and checking final preparations for a spotty bus tour competition.

Belmore Lodge is vying with two other Colten Care Lymington homes, Court Lodge and Linden House, to see how much money they can raise.

Residents, families, friends, staff and volunteers are using stationary exercise bikes at each home to help “cycle Pudsey home” to the BBC studios in Manchester by Children in Need night next Friday.

It’s an equivalent distance there and back of about 500 miles.

Colten Care is streaming the virtual journey live using three web cams so communities can check on progress in real time. Visitors to each home are also invited to hop on the saddle to help with the ride.

At the same time, one of Colten Care’s minibuses has been special decorated colourful spots.

As it goes on its rounds in and around Lymington over the next week, members of the public are invited to take and send in a photograph of it with the chance to win a Samsung Galaxy tablet in a prize draw.

The campaign’s grand finale is a “black tie and diamonds” ball at Lymington Sailing Club for families and community contacts next Friday.

Janie Pearman, Belmore Lodge manager, said: “We all enjoyed Pudsey’s visit to help set us on our way with our Children in Need activities this year.

"It was lovely to welcome him and see the smiles on our residents’ faces.

"Our campaign offers a whole host of ways to get involved.

"We’ve got something for everyone. People can get active on the bikes, use their photographic skills for the bus competition or simply make a donation.”

Colten Care, which owns and runs owns and runs 20 care homes in Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Sussex, raised nearly £4,000 for Children in Need last year.

To view the virtual bike ride, register for the Spot the Bus competition or make a donation, visit coltencare.co.uk/ChildrenInNeed.

If you are organising a Children In need fundraiser let us know by emailing ella. griffiths@dailyecho.co.uk.