Netball Aid raises £40,000 for Children in Need

The inaugural Netball Aid took place at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on 2 November

An inaugural sporting event organised by the BBC which saw celebrities face-off in a netball tournament has raised £40,000 for Children in Need.

Netball Aid took place at Birmingham's Utilita Arena on 2 November, with famous faces taking part including Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis and former footballer turned TV personality Ashley Cain.

The day also included a Guinness World Record attempt for the most goals scored by a team in one hour by shooters from local netball teams and a game between two of the England Men's netball teams.

BBC presenter Trish Adudu said: "This is a remarkable milestone for our inaugural event and significantly exceeds our initial expectation of £25,000."

She added: "It also represents well over 50% of the proceeds from ticket sales, after costs, meaning we have surpassed the commitment we made at the outset in a very meaningful way.

"We are immensely proud to be able to support such an important cause and to have done so through an event that brought together players, celebrities, volunteers, and fans for a shared purpose, and to have raised this amount in just seven weeks makes the achievement even more meaningful."

The celebrity match saw Team Pudsey triumph over Team Bears by 58-52, with players including former England netball champion Serena Kersten MBE and Love Island stars Shakira Khan and Zach Noble.

BBC presenters from the West Midlands also took to the court, including Mary Rhodes, Rebecca Harper and Nicola Beckford from BBC Midlands Today and Ed James and PJ Ellis from BBC Radio WM.

Team Pudsey beat Team Bears by 58-52 in the high-energy match

Speaking about how the event came to be, event manager Sara Moore said: "Netball is a massive sport for women and girls, and for boys as well.

"So we were really keen for something that put netball on the map, but also put something on the map for women and girls in Birmingham."