Selfie booths, tap dancing records, homemade cakes and fancy dress. It can only mean one thing: Children in Need was back.

The BBC’s annual charity drive swept across the nation last week, and a string of successful events in Dartford and Gravesend contributed to the record-breaking
£37.2 million total.

MC Personnel, in Manor Road, Gravesend, set up a selfie frame and backdrop for staff and visitors to use, with plenty of quirky props to help people get into the spirit of the day.

Branch manager Tracey Stringer said: “Quite a few people came through. We raised £133, so we were really happy with that.”

Tracy Peglar’s School of Dance in Gravesend made its way to The Brook Theatre in Chatham for The Tapathon.

Celebrating its fifth year, the extravaganza sees thousands of tap dancers come together and perform a choreographed routine at the same time in hundreds of locations up and down the country.

This year’s routine took place at 1pm on Sunday, with both juniors and seniors from the Gravesend school taking to the stage for separate nine-minute stints. Pudsey also took to the stage to lend his support.

Tracy, who became principal of the school back in 2012, said: “Everyone worked extremely hard and took extra time out of the dance school timetable to learn the routines. The commitment, dedication and enthusiasm by all was inspiring.”

The school is confident it will hit its £1,000 target through sponsorship and T-shirt sales.

Fancy dress and homemade cakes came courtesy of children at The Brent Primary School in Dartford.

“It was a great day,” said the school’s office manager, Anita Andrews.

“All the children dressed up in pyjamas or onesies to raise money. We also saw the Rickshaw Challenge go by and took them out to watch."

"Asda Dartford arranged for Pudsey to come and visit, which they do every year, and we had a cake sale throughout the day. We raised £657.73.”

The Brent was not the only Dartford primary school to get involved, as Maypole Primary raised £512.57 through a variety of fun-filled events.

Assistant head teacher Nicola Caselton said: “Children hosted a jelly bean challenge, delivered assembly to the rest of the school, sold Pudsey gifts and helped to make a coin display.

They will be working hard for the rest of the year to make a change for other charities and the children in their school.

“These children are the champions of change for Maypole School and are working hard to do this one step at a time.”

Meanwhile, King’s Farm Primary School in Gravesend raised just shy of £400 with their own fancy dress and cake sale day.

Administration manager Nicola White said: “Children dressed up as superheroes, or people they look up to as heroes, and Mrs Featherstone baked lovely cakes that she sold to the staff. We’re still counting how much we’ve raised.”

Another impressive total came courtesy of North Kent College’s hairdressing department, which raised £386.58 by offering treatments and haircuts to students and staff.

The college’s Students’ Union hosted their own take on the Great British Bake-Off, which was the source of some truly wacky creations. Among the treats on offer were cookies, cupcakes, iced Pudseys and a replica of the human brain.

Trevor Fox, student engagement assistant at the college’s Gravesend campus, said: “We had a bake-off with staff baking cakes, which were then auctioned off to students to raise money.

“There were raffles, people in fancy dress and students playing different games. Motor vehicle students were doing checks and washes on people’s cars, other students were offering beauty treatments.

“At the moment we’ve raised more than £1,200, but that total will be bigger by the end of the week.”

Jan Sterry, 50, from Darenth, was one of the many driving instructors involved in this year’s nationwide Big Learner Relay. Jan’s leg of the journey was from Millbrook Garden Centre in Southfleet to Cray Valley Golf Club in Orpington.

More than £92,000 has been raised so far.

The One Show’s Matt Baker also made his way through both towns en route to Elstree Studios as part of The One Show’s Rickshaw Challenge.

Six young riders previously supported by Children in Need joined the former Blue Peter presenter on a week-long journey from Land’s End to the east end of London.

They went through Gravesend before reaching Dartford at 9.40am on Friday, raising £3.4 million by the time they made it to the BBC studio during the live broadcast that same evening.