How charitable are you?

It's mufti day at school today – an excuse for the kids to wear scruffy jeans and dodgy t-shirts instead of their uniforms. Still, it's for a good cause, of course – Children in Need. I don't know whether you caught any of the concert on BBC1 last night, but if you did you'll know that it was absolutely fantastic – Lily Allen's performance alone was a reason to donate, in my opinion, and total respect to Gary Barlow for organising it. We're looking forward to the main event tonight (and the premiere of Peter Kay's new single).

I never mind donating to charity when I'm sure where the money is going. I have standing orders for the NSPCC and Oxfam, I buy a poppy every November and a daffodil for Marie Curie in the spring, and I'm also a supporter of Born Free. What I don't like is when the 'chuggers' stop you in the street and try to get you to sign up – there are so many at our local shopping centre now that it's become something of a chugging slalom. You have to swerve every few steps to avoid colliding with them. (Yes I know they're just trying to make a living, but I just don't like being held to ransom like that.) And even worse, when they knock on my door and expect me to disclose my bank account details.

Yesterday one of the UK's top mummy bloggers, Sandy Calico, wrote a wonderfully moving piece about her experience of Great Ormond Street Hospital and the new X Factor single in aid of the charity. You can read it here. And earlier in the week the always excellent Tattie Weasle wrote a thought-provoking post about Operation Christmas Child.

By the way, did you know that you can save for a charity through KidStart? You can see a list of participating charities by clicking here and logging in.

Have a wonderful weekend.

written by Liz Jarvis