It's Children In Need day all across the UK today and tonight a live broadcast will take place across the BBC in a bid to once again try and raise as much money as possible for the charity.

It was back in 1980 when the first ever Children In Need live telethon was shown on BBC One and Two and since then the charity has raised more than £600million for disabled children and young people in the UK.

I remember being a little girl and Pudsey, the Children In Need mascot, came to visit our school because we had a bake sale and raised £164.

It was like meeting a rockstar because he was the famous bear from the telly.

As an adult I've always tried to raise funds each year and it was because I was performing live on Children In Need back in 2006 that I met Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill and after a few light refreshments in the green room they offered me a cameo role in the new season of Still Game the following year.

Last year I had the honour of performing with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the City Halls in Glasgow alongside Susan Boyle and Jamie MacDougall for the Pudsey Goes To The Musicals concert.

It was a fantastic night and that's why I'm utterly thrilled to be back again this year co-hosting Children In Need’s Sing with Pudsey, alongside the fantastic Bryan Burnett at the stunning Paisley Abbey tonight.

Four choirs will join forces from across the country, the Gorbals Children’s Choir funded by CIN, NYCOS Edinburgh Chamber choir, Soundsational from Coatbridge and Paisley Abbey’s own choristers take part in a celebration of the joys of singing in the glorious and ancient surroundings of Paisley Abbey.

There will also be appearances by BBC Poet in Residence, Stuart Paterson, surprise guests and Pudsey Bear himself.

Not only will I be co-hosting the show, which is being broadcast live from 7.30pm tonight on BBC Radio Scotland, but I'll be performing too with the incredible Soundsational Choir who are also performing with me at The Mitchell Theatre next month in Michelle McManus’ Winter Wonderland.

Together we will be singing Bette Midler's From a Distance and Madonna’s Like a Prayer.

It will be a fabulous night of beautiful music and if you weren't lucky enough to get your hands on tickets, it's being broadcast live on the radio, so make sure you tune in tonight.

It's been a tough old year and it's always lovely to do something nice for others.

To us, Children In Need might just be one night, but the incredible work that takes place over the remaining 364 days of the year is just out of this world, especially when you see where all of the money goes, and how incredibly life-changing it is to so many people and communities.

There are hundreds of charities up and down Scotland who couldn't survive without the grants awarded by Children In Need, so please, make sure you donate whatever you can tonight, no matter how small, as you have no idea how many people depend on this vital funding.

Last year the charity raised a whopping £46.6m on the night, so let's see if we can't break the record again tonight and get it up to £50m.