A Children in Need running challenge that BBC presenter Roger Johnson had hoped to complete himself ended up being carried out by his colleagues after a long-standing foot problem flared up and left him unable to run.
Johnson, who works for BBC North West Tonight, had set himself the task of covering 26.2 miles over two weeks for the charity appeal. He admitted he is not a natural runner and had only been putting on his trainers most mornings for the past 18 months to stay fit and lose weight. Even so, he thought the challenge sounded manageable when he accepted it.
Four weeks before the challenge was due to start, the foot problem returned. He tried ice, elevation, pills from the doctor and an X-ray, but the injury did not improve. By the end of October he was still only able to hobble, so he began looking for another way to get the miles done.
Colleagues answer the call
Johnson sent an email around the BBC North West newsroom asking whether colleagues might run the miles on his behalf. The response was strong: more than 30 people took part, covering more than 160 miles between them. They ran in parks, on paths, up and down hills, over bridges and along lanes across Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cumbria.
The total was far beyond the original target, but Johnson said it demonstrated what can be achieved when people unite for a common cause. He also noted that the collective effort reflected the spirit of Children in Need, which has been bringing strangers together to raise money since 1980.
Before the injury forced the change of plan, members of Lostock Athletics Club had offered to run the first few miles with Johnson. They met on a drizzly Tuesday morning in Blackrod, near Horwich, but Johnson could only watch as they jogged away without him. Ian Burns, who is in his late 60s, offered some perspective, saying that people can be stubborn about injuries and that recovery takes longer with age.
A personal connection to the cause
Johnson wrote that over the years he has met many fundraisers and people helped by Children in Need. He recalled an elderly woman in Bootle, Merseyside, who had just collected her pension and insisted on putting £20 into a collection bucket as they walked along the north west coast. He also remembered Ella, a girl supported by a bereavement charity on the Isle of Man after her brother died.
Those experiences, he said, showed that generosity runs through the appeal – not only in money but also in time and spirit. The response from his colleagues, he added, should not have surprised him.
Looking ahead, Johnson said the experience had taught him a lesson. If he is asked to take on another challenge for the cause next year, he will be a little less complacent.
BBC Children in Need 2026 will be broadcast live on BBC iPlayer and BBC One from 19:00 GMT on 13 November.
