Challenge Anneka - Episode Guide

Ten double decker buses were converted into playbuses in 3 days for the National Playbus Association. Two buses were completed on time; the other eight partially refurbished for completion by the charity

A rubbish tip in Northern Ireland was converted to a children's playground for the Ballynahinch community

The ancient chalk horse above Weymouth was renovated with the help of local scouts and mountain climbing enthusiasts. The challenge was not completed in time but the work was finished by local volunteers the following week

A football pitch was re-turfed and new changing rooms were installed for the youngsters of Norbury Athletic Football Club, a group of youth teams in Stockport

In 2 days, playwright Ray Cooney wrote and directed a new farce for the "Calibre" cassette library for the blind.

With the help of Alan Titchmarsh, and in aid of the Country Houses Association, a huge neglected Victorian walled garden in Royal Berkshire was transformed back to its original state.

At the request of the local community and volunteers of the Kent and East Sussex Railway, the local station at Northiam in Kent and the lines leading to it were renovated to allow steam trains to come to the town.

In 36 hours, a joke book printed on recycled paper was put together in aid of Friends of the Earth. 10,000 copies were produced.

Twenty disabled young people were taken to Switzerland where they skied for the first time in their lives.

During the past ten weeks, Anneka has tackled a variety of daunting tasks, from building a railway line in a weekend to producing a radio play in an afternoon.
Tonight Anneka looks back at the successes and the failures of the series - at those times when the impossible became possible. 

In 2 days, a simultaneous party for six thousand needy children was organised in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to coincide with the Paul O'Gorman Leukaemia Foundation's annual party in Battersea Park.

In 2 days, a pool was made for orphan seals at the Middlebank Centre for the SSPCA.

An old disused stables at a farm near Buxton were converted into a riding centre for the disabled. Challenge succeeded but riding centre subsequently closed because of legal problems between the charity and the landowner.

A low water quay was built on the island of Bryher in the Scilly Isles. The challenge was completed a day late due to the bad weather.

An old Dutch barge was transformed into floating education centre for the community of Richmond in Surrey.

The Happisburgh Lighthouse was painted from top to bottom after Trinity House passed responsibility for its upkeep to the local village.

Anneka and the team took on possibly their biggest challenge when they were given the task of renovating an orphanage in Siret which was home to 600 children, all living in appalling conditions. There was no sanitation or electricity and many of the children were seriously ill and emotionally and physically abused. The babies lived three to a cot in filthy rags and it was impossible to tell the children's ages or sex as they all had shaved heads and were so undernourished. The workforce from the UK pledged to make Siret a long term plan and made yearly visits to carry on renovation and repairs, not only in the orphanage but in the nearby town as well.

The pantomime Cinderella was staged in Newcastle in 2 days with a cast entirely composed of members of the public for the benefit of local needy children and the elderly.

In 2 days an unused ward at Rochford Hospital in Essex was converted into a reminiscence centre for elderly patients.

The conversion of a chapel in Telford into a hostel for homeless teenagers was completed in just 24 hours.

The kennels at the USPCA's shelter in Carryduff were renovated in time for its open day.

In 4 days, an unmade-up road was surfaced for the residents of a small community in County Durham.

A TV commercial was made in just 36 hours on behalf of the British Paralympics Association. It was transmitted on ITV at the end of the challenge.

In 60 hours, the Gloucester Operatic and Dramatic Society's New Olymus Theatre was restored to its Edwardian splendour. It is Gloucester's only theatre.

The challenge allowed just under 60 hours to renovate Mitcham Parish Church and organise the catering, outfits, flowers for the wedding of a young couple who would otherwise not have afforded to get married.

The challenge, on behalf of the charity Zoo Check, was to build two quarantine houses for chimpanzees at Monkey World in Dorset. The challenge failed in that only one house was finished in time to receive the chimps who had been rescued from Spain.

In two and half days, a piece of hospital wasteland was transformed into a specialised playground to cater for the needs of sick children at the Birmingham Children's Hospital. The challenge was issued by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh on behalf of the National Playing Fields Association.

In 2 days, a field was transformed into a fully equipped holiday camp in time for the arrival of six children from inner city London who were being treated to the holiday of a lifetime by the charity the Children's Country Holiday Funds.

In 73 hours, 10,000 copies of the 1992 Childline Calendar "Children at Play" were printed using photos chosen from thousands received in response to a public appeal.

In just under 4 days, a footbridge of steel and wood was built over the River Camel in Wadebridge, Cornwall. Its completion culminated in a huge party for the whole town which had been reunited by the footbridge.

A year ago, millions of viewers saw Anneka Rice and a team of volunteers rise to the challenge of transforming the lives of hundreds of children living in a huge, decaying orphanage in Siret, northern Romania. In five days, hot and cold running water was installed, lights were rewired, walls painted and bedding replaced. Recently,
Anneka returned to Siret to see for herself what successes and setbacks the children have faced during the past year.

A nostalgic review of the last three years of the series with Anneka Rice recalling some of the highlights - including the group of disabled people who learned to ski in two days - and some of the disasters - such as when the entire camera crew fell out of the back of the buggy. She also looks back to one of her most memorable tasks: in 1990 she was challenged to restore an orphanage in Romania.
Within a week she had to transform it into a proper home for 600 children. Tonight she finds out how the children's lives have been changed since the team visited.

A 77 hour challenge to partially refurbish and rebuild the animal housing at the Heeley City Farm in Sheffield run by the volunteers. It also included an appeal for new animals.

Anneka was challenged by Tommy's Campaign to produce a cassette tape (plus 9,999 copies) of children's songs and nursery rhymes performed by celebrities in time for premature baby, Danielle Healy, to go home.

The challenge involved moving a dilapidated old library building from its site in the middle of Ilfracombe to be resurrected as a community centre in the Slade Valley, half a mile away. The time set was 51 hours.

A two and half day challenge was to create an angling facility for the disabled. Anneka had to evacuate the site, have a moat designed and take delivery of 200 fresh fish and 200,000 gallons of water in time for an angling competition.

The challenge involved renovating a dilapidated old school building into a nursery for Leeds Mencap in 55 hours. Additionally, from the thousands of paintings sent in response to a radio appeal, Anneka had to select a winning entry and have 25,000 copies of a Christmas card produced in time for the nursery's opening.

Anneka was challenged by Trevor Jones, a tetraplegic, to give himself and nine other disabled people the chance to learn to scuba dive. After a day's training in London, the team flew to Eilat for a further day in a pool and finally into the Red Sea.

The 72 hour challenge involved transforming a derelict shell of an old building into a recreation/sports centre for the Greycraigs Outdoor Centre in the Isle of Cumbrae. The climax was a rally of 1,000 cyclists arriving at the renovated building at the deadline.

Anneka has 5 days to equip a medical centre in Malawi as well as drill a new bore hole for fresh water.

Anneka launched the Croatia appeal live from the BT Tower appealing for materials to rebuild a school in Pakrac and the goods to be taken on convoy to Croatia. Simon Bates delivered the challenge to Anneka on behalf of the British Red Cross hours before she was due to transmit her live compilation programme. The show also included a look back at the best and worst moments from the past four series and interviewed past participants live on air.

Anneka received a challenge from two children from West Buckland School in North Devon to refurbish a derelict barn and turn it into a boathouse for use by disabled people. The boathouse belonged to the Exmoor Calvert Trust based at Wistlandpound Farm near Barnstaple.

Anneka was challenged to refurbish the soup kitchen for the homeless at the Social Care Unit at St Martin in the Fields in London and to provide a 150 meals a day for a year.

Anneka was challenged by the RNIB College in Worcester to build a multi-sensory maze for the blind. The challenge failed.

Anneka had just 3 days to make a commercial for the National Children's Home to be premiered in front of 1,000 children at the Odeon Leicester Square. Challenged completed but the film failed to be granted a "U" certificate to be shown at the premiere.

Anneka had 52 hours to convert two bungalows in Edgeware for wheelchair use by two disabled residents. The challenge also involved renovating the day room at the nearby hospital for Aspire and the Guinness Trust.

Gail Moore, of the Cope Children's Trust's Rainbow Appeal, challenged Anneka to create a range of clothes for children and mothers, the sale of which was to raise money to run the sixth children's hospice in the UK. Challenge succeeded.

The British Red Cross challenged Anneka to take food and hygiene supplies to the former Yugoslavia and to renovate a school in Pakrac, Croatia to enable children returning to an area of devastation to renew their education. 30 trucks, as a result of a nationwide appeal, travelled to Croatia. The school was renovated just in time for the children to arrive for their first school day.

The challenge involved improving the facilities at Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre by building an indoor riding school and thus helping the disabled riders to carry on during the winter months. The time set for the challenge was 72 hours.

Burnham-on-Sea area rescue boat crew challenged Anneka to build and equip an inshore rescue boat station on the esplanade at Burnham-on-Sea in 72 hours.

The Patti Pavilion Trust challenged Anneka to renovate the 19th century Winter Gardens donated by Adelina Patti in 1920. The challenge took 54 hours and included the staging of the inaugural concert.

The Harriet Trust challenged Anneka to move a 70ft trawler from Holyhead, Wales to Millom, Cumbria – take it out of the water and place it in dry dock next to their existing boat. Both boats were then transformed into playspaces for the benefit of children with disabilities who attend the outdoor holiday centre. The challenge time set was 54 hours.

Breakthrough Breast Cancer challenged Anneka to create a charity receipe book featuring dishes by celebrities and members of the public, then cook a banquet for 100 invited guests to celebrate the launch of "100 Recipes In No Time At All".

Anneka was challenged to create a television studio out of a disused showroom in West London to become the base for a children's TV station, YCTV, to teach TV skills to inner city children.

Medic One challenged Anneka to move an entire hospital Casualty Unit from Scotland to rebuild it 1,830 miles away in a remote town in Central Romania. The challenge was based over 11 days and failed but the project was completed 5 weeks later. The programme also included an update on the Romanian orphanage in Siret.

At the Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield, Anneka was challenged to transform a redundant church into a circus skills centre for the Greentop Community Circus in 53 hours. Also undertaken were 15 smaller projects by local volunteers. The challenge was successful.

The RNID issued a challenge to stage a concert in 28 hours featuring deaf performers for a deaf audience at the Royal Albert Hall.

Anneka Rice and the team have 2 days to move a war memorial from the top of a hill to a landscaped garden in Bathgate in Lothian in time for the VE day parade. Also undertaken were 127 smaller projects by local volunteers.

Anneka Rice and the team have 52 hours to create and publish a book called 500 Ways on Making You Feel Better. The book contains jokes, games , stories etc. Starting with a visit on the Big Breakfast and with help at the BT Tower.

The community of Corrymeela challenged Anneka to knock down their Tara – meeting house – and replace it with 3 buildings for arts and crafts, dancing and meeting. In the 74 hours it took to complete the challenge, a further 128 smaller challenges were undertaken by local volunteers.

Anneka was challenged by the UK Blood Transfusion Service to find 100,000 new donors (1 year's supply) in 1 day. 41,000 pledged to give blood on the actual day acrcoss the country. The challenge failed in finding 100,000. After the programme transmitted, a further 31,000 pledged to give blood.

St Basil's Housing Centre in Birmingham challenged Anneka to renovate a disused shop and abbatoir transforming it into a 10 bed unit for young homeless mothers and their babies. Over the 58 hours for the challenge, some 16 smaller projects were tackled by volunteers, although the main challenge itself, failed. The project was finished a week later.

Anneka was challenged to renovate the RSPCA at Grafty Green, Kent as well as rescue two lions based in Athens and transport them to their newly built Big Cat Sanctuary in 61 hours. The challenge, set by the Born Free Foundation, succeeded.

In aid of Children in Need Anneka has to arrange a symphony orchestra to play the 1812 Overture in the middle of the River Thames to a backdrop of fireworks and ice dancing.

The team was challenged in helping World Vision to rebuild a maternity clinic, a cricket pavilion and a children's play centre in Sri Lanka after the 2004 Tsunami disaster. The public was asked to donate any supplies that would be necessary to help complete the challenge. The project was successful.

Anneka and the team have 5 days to make a CD of songs from the musicals. It is in aid of the Chase Trust for many disabled and very sick children around the country. The CD must contain 12 songs from artists and a version of Over the Rainbow from the children at the trust. If that wasn't enough, a concert has to be arranged for the children to perform. The challenge was successful.