The 2016 BBC Children in Need appeal raised a record £60m, the charity announced today.

The sum beats the previous record of £56.9m, which was raised by the 2015 appeal.

BBC Children in Need has enjoyed almost non-stop growth this century. The 2000 appeal generated £20m; by 2010 the amount had climbed to £37m. Since then the sum has gone up every year except two, despite austerity.

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The 2016 appeal, in which £46.6m was raised on the night, also a record, included the introduction of a £20 text-to-donate code, as well as new content provided through VR viewers.

The charity currently supports more than 2,400 projects.

Simon Antrobus, chief executive of BBC Children in Need, said: “The impact this incredible amount of money will have on some of the most disadvantaged children and young people is hard to put into words.”

Highlights of the 2016 campaign included fundraising efforts spearheaded by Chris Evans on BBC Radio 2, The One Show’s Rickshaw Challenge on BBC One and a concert in honour of Sir Terry Wogan, the former long-term presenter of the appeal who died in early 2016.