Interview: Pudsey gets proactive - Sheila Jane Malley, director of grants and policy, BBC Children in Need

The night raised more than £1m and spawned what would become the charitable arm of the BBC. "The success took everyone in the BBC by surprise," admits Sheila Jane Malley, director of grants and policy at Children in Need.

By the end of the 90s, it was clear that Children in Need had become more than just a TV telethon. "The appeal and charity now has a lasting life, so now we're more permanent, there's a need to develop our work further," says Malley.

The development of Children in Need's remit is more an evolution than a revolution, but it's no less significant for that. Up until now the charity's work as a grant giver has been important but passive. But now the grant maker intends to do more than act as a cash machine for voluntary organisations and become more proactive. Malley says the aim is to make better use of Children in Need's core strengths: accessibility, local links, and its knowledge as a major funder. "We are extremely accessible as a funder because people know who we are but also because all our materials are written in very accessible language. Our assessment process understands that applicants' strengthens are working with children, not necessarily filling in application forms," she says.