Half a century after being found sitting on his suitcase at the railway station, Paddington Bear returned to his adopted home to celebrate the momentous anniversary and raise funds for his favourite charity, Action Medical Research.

The children’s icon dusted down his duffel coat and hat to take his place as the guest of honour at a special party at PaddingtonCentral, the office and retail development adjacent to the station. The event was held on his birthday, June 25, making it a double celebration.

Over 200 children from local school and nursery classes helped Paddington celebrate in style, and were treated to a whacky science show by inventor and broadcaster Professor Heinz Wolff, before listening to a classic Paddington Bear story and playing party games.

Paddington Bear is the official mascot of national charity Action Medical Research, which runs an annual ‘Bring Your Bear’ fundraising event for schools and nurseries every June. Children attending the party brought their own teddy bears, making a £1 donation to the charity’s Touching Tiny Lives campaign, which is raising funds to help sick and vulnerable babies.

The party was hosted and supported by Bakkavor Group, a leading international fresh prepared foods manufacturer, whose UK headquarters are based at PaddingtonCentral.

To find out more about Action Medical Research, visit www.action.org.uk

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On May 12, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Wenchuan County in China's southwest Sichuan Province, killing an estimated 68,000 people, injuring more than 236,359 others, and leaving thousands buried under collapsed buildings.

According to the Government of China (GOC), nearly 18,700 people are buried under fallen buildings in Mianyang city in Wenchuan County, and approximately 7,400 others are confirmed dead. Nineteen British tourists were also among thousands missing in the region. Worst hit was Sichuan Province's Beichuan County, where a further 10,000 were feared injured and 80% of the buildings were flattened, including eight schools and one hospital.

Chinese Red Cross volunteers began assisting relief efforts immediately following the earthquake, and the GOC plan to send a total of 50,000 army troops to the most affected areas to facilitate recovery efforts and relief operations.

As aftershocks continue, residents of affected areas who were unable or unwilling to return to damaged and hazardous homes set up tent cities. As a result of the displacement, emergency humanitarian needs include temporary shelter materials, blankets, and water. In addition, affected populations require emergency medical assistance and food.

On Saturday 3 May 2008, a tropical cyclone killed thousands of people in Burma and destroyed around 20,000 homes. Parts of the Irrawaddy region were hit particularly badly, with three out of four buildings reportedly blown down in one district. Burma has declared Irrawaddy and four other regions, including the main city Rangoon, Bago, Karen and Mon to be disaster areas.

Winds of about 120mph battered the five regions, and foreign aid workers in Rangoon have concluded that so far more than 78,000 people have been killed by the storm, and another 56,000 are missing. Two to three million people are also homeless, making it the worst disaster in the country's modern history, and of a scale comparable with the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Buildings have been torn down, roads have been blocked by fallen trees and power lines, and the prices for food and transport have already rocketed. Residents are without power and water, and have been in the streets struggling to clear away the debris by hand, as they have no heavy machinery to help.

Brendan Gormley, the chief executive of the Disasters Emergency Committee, said, 'The DEC is monitoring the scenes from Burma and is involved in constant dialogue with its members about what can be done on the ground to help people in such dire need. World Vision, Save the Children, and the British Red Cross have already launched their own appeals for the public to support their programmes in the country.'

To make a donation, please log on to the DEC website at www.dec.org.uk or phone 0870 60 60 900.

Amy Macdonald lent her support to Marie Curie Cancer Care’s Big Build Appeal, touring the new site before calling in on the city’s current hospice to spend time with patients and staff.

The appeal has so far raised £10 million for a brand new modern hospice in the city, but still has a long way to go to meet its £16 million target.

Amy said, “Marie Curie Cancer Care does some fantastic work, some of which I have seen first hand today. I am really glad that I can support the ‘Big Build Appeal’ and be part of something which will help the people of Glasgow in the future. I would urge everyone to help this great cause if they can as there is still another £6 million to raise.”

Prince William launched the ‘Cycle of Life’ charity bicycle ride across Africa this month, at a special send-off event at Clarence House. The team of seven cyclists will ride 5000 miles across rural Africa, from Namibia to Kenya, without support, and will travel 60 miles per day for four months.

Prince William, who is Royal Patron of Tusk Trust and Patron of Centrepoint, said, “The expedition has my full support. In taking on such an extraordinary journey, the Cycle of Life team will not only be raising money for such a great cause but also awareness of the need for rural projects that help local communities sustain livelihoods which benefit Africa’s precious natural environment.”

Football star and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham has just completed a visit to Sierra Leone, where he travelled with UNICEF representatives to focus attention on the issue of child survival. The trip took place during the lead-up to the release of UNICEF's yearly flagship report – The State of the World's Children 2008.

This year’s report cites Sierra Leone as having the highest rate of infant mortality in the world. “In Sierra Leone, one in four children dies before reaching their fifth birthday,” states Beckham. “It’s shocking and tragic, especially when the solutions are simple. Saving these children’s lives is a top priority for UNICEF – and as an Ambassador, I hope I can help to draw attention to this issue across the world.”

Visit www.unicef.org for more news.