Children in Need – Page 10 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Pudsey at the Club – Marie Phillips

Photos by Marie Phillips, no reproduction without permission.

These photos were taken on the football pitch at the back of the Pebble Mill Club. It looks like Pudsey was involved, so there was obviously a Children in Need connection.

Princess Diana – Children in Need

Thanks to Marie Phillips for making the photo available.

The photo is of Princess Diana, at a Children in Need charity event, meeting CIN co-ordinator, Marie Phillips.

Marie remembers, ‘It was 31st October 1995. Princess Diana was Patron of the Foundation for Conductive Education, based in Cannon Hill Park. Children in Need regularly gave them funding to help with their unique and important work with children with celebral palsy. She came to officially open Phase One of the project. She was delightful and chatted for what seemed ages and I always remember the bright clear blue of her eyes. A day I will never forget.’

Children in Need – photos from Ruth Kiosses

Andria Fletcher, Ruth Kiosses, Alex Pargeter

Ruth Kiosses

Ruth Kiosses & Andria Fletcher

Photos from Ruth Kiosses, no reproduction without permission.

The photos were taken at Pebble Mill on a ‘Children in Need’ day, with the Wardrobe department volunteering and manning the phones.

‘The photos date from 1991/2. It was the busiest week of the Wardrobe year with van loads of costumes arriving daily from TVC and our own Selly Oak stores. You couldn’t move in the basement for costume rails ready for the CIN broadcast in the evening. It was always stressful but fun on the night. We raised a lot of cash dressed as a racehorse from Pebble Mill’s drama ‘Trainer’ one year, and yes, I was the back end! ‘

Ruth Kiosses

Children in Need 1990 – Ruth Barretto

CHILDREN IN NEED 1990 – Ruth Barretto

The photos show the ‘Children in Need’ phone volunteers for the Midlands region, stationed in Studio A.

Tweedle dum and tweedle dee were Claire Cotton and Helen Lott, Andy

Pandy was Jill Bent, the bear was Jan Burrows, I was the princess. The lady

with curly hair in purple was Joanne Anderton and behind her was Sophie

Marsh. Can’t remember the others.

CIN phone volunteers 1990

Children in Need 1990

‘Children in Need’ – photos by Lynda Kettle

Photos by Lynda Kettle, no reproduction without permission. Lynda Kettle was a Production Designer at BBC Pebble Mill, working on factual, entertainment and drama shows in studio and on location. The photos were taken as records of the Sets.

This was pirates year. Kay Alexander is upstage right in this photo, so she must have been presenting the regional ‘Children in Need’ output in this particular year. It looks like floor manager Dave Brazier talking to Kay. Dave Bushell (lighting director) is at the back admiring the palm trees, and it is probably Adrian Kelly on the camera jib. The guy towards the back left in the white shirt and tie is probably Mike Day from comms engineering. Those items look like telephones at the back there which he would have been responsible for. In the second photo cameramen Robin Sunderland, James French and Andy Payne are by the grand piano. Sue Beardsmore is rehearsing. Alan Titchmarsh & Sue were presenting this year. Merrick Simmonds was the Director and David Nelson Producing. Please post a comment if you recognise anyone else in the photos.

‘Children in Need’ was a big annual occasion at Pebble Mill. Sets, like this one were built for the evening regional ‘Children in Need’ output, and other programmes in the building would regularly join in. Teams of willing volunteers would man the phones. This often included staff from non-programme departments who were just as keen to lend a hand – and to dress up in costume!

Production Designer, Lynda Kettle also worked as a theatre designer and an artist, and now runs courses from her art studio http://www.lynda-kettle.com. She is a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, Birmingham Water Colour Society. Midland Pastel Society and Birmingham Art Circle . She exhibits her paintings several times a year at selected galleries.