SONIC RELIEF 2011 - Get Your Nose On!

[Core]

I had made a donation a while ago, but I've noticed it has been canceled a few days later and I got my money back... Do you know what happened?

[Doctor MK]

I had made a donation a while ago, but I've noticed it has been canceled a few days later and I got my money back... Do you know what happened?

No idea what happened there, sorry. Very odd.

[The Tenth Doctor]

Right guys it took 2 months sweat and tears but here is my biggest, funniest and best Sonic Relief movie I have ever made in its 3 year history.

The Sonic Storybook series! Making fun of what prospective future the series could head into! I hope you like it!

[Core]

Impressive! I can't imagine all the work it must have taken to make all of them. It was very creative too.

[Doctor MK]

BREAKING NEWS!

SONIC RELIEF 2011 EXTENDED UNTIL 27TH MARCH

Think that Sonic Relief 2011 is coming to an end too quickly? Then fear not, as the deadline for donations to the 2011 campaign are to be extended until Sunday 27th March.

I realise it is abnormal for Sonic Relief to continue past Comic Relief's Red Nose Day (which takes place this Friday, 18th March on BBC One) but there are several reasons for this extension.

Firstly, I am sure we are all aware of the terrible disasters to have hit Japan in the last couple of days. Aid for their cause is needed much more crucially at this very moment in time, so this extension will give you the chance to make your donations to help Japan and still give you a week or so if you wish to donate to Sonic Relief as well. I would hate to make you have to choose between one charity or another, especially as Japan holds so much significance for the Sonic community.

Secondly, as this our final Sonic Relief campaign, I want to give us the maximum opportunity to make this one to remember. The total currently stands at just under £650, which already makes this the most successful Sonic Relief to date. But it has the potential to be much more successful yet. With the sales from Songs For Sonic 2 yet to be donated, our chances of hitting the elusive £1000 milestone are looking ever more hopeful - and honestly, I want us to reach it. This extension will give us that bit of extra time to ensure that we are able to put our absolute all into this.

Finally, the extended deadline will allow for more recent fundraising events to take place, as well as giving me some additional time to finish writing Sonic: The Age of Steam by the end of the campaign.

Please note that the deadline for entries will remain as this Friday, 18th March. This is so that people who are wanting to donate based on the number of entries received can do so, plus it gives us a chance to decide on a worthy winner in readiness for the announcement of the grand total a week later.

So, let's keep on going folks! We're gonna reach for the stars!

[The Tenth Doctor]

Sounds like a good plan MK. Looking forward to more entries and also your Age of Steam chapters!

[Glenn]

I fully support the extension (done for the right reasons, Doctor... great move), and loved the video from Dr. Spudhead, too!

I truly believe we can hit that £1,000 target as well, guys... so let's get moving!

[thesketchsector]

Awesome plan, I was waiting for a donation channel

[Doctor MK]

Sorry for the extremely short notice, but...

SEGAMedia presents BLUE NOSE DAY live on RadioSEGA!

Go and tune in now for even more fun(draising)!

EDIT: My bad, it turns out it's just a regular show but using "Blue Nose Day" as a namesake because it's coinciding with Red Nose Day. Hardly Sonic Relief related at all.

Edited March 18, 2011 by Doctor MK

[Doctor MK]

Update time!

The official deadline for entries has now passed, and if my calculations are correct... we've had 32 entries this year!

So if anyone is thinking of donating based on the number of entries, that's the number to work with!

Speaking of donations, our total is currently at just under £925... which means we only need around £75 in order to reach our £1,000 goal! If you are able to help us achieve this astounding achievement, please do not hesitate to pledge at www.justgiving.com/sonicreliefuk

Edited March 19, 2011 by Doctor MK

[Doctor MK]

No further comment required.

In other news, Shadzter and I have now decided on this year's winning entries. Look out for the announcement alongside the final grand total after the fundraising ends on Sunday!

[The Tenth Doctor]

Congratulations Doctor MK! This year has been bigger than ever and I for one am looking forward to seeing the final amount, the contest entries and the finale of Age of Steam!

[Doctor MK]

Congratulations Doctor MK! This year has been bigger than ever and I for one am looking forward to seeing the final amount, the contest entries and the finale of Age of Steam!

All six chapters of The Age of Steam are online now

In other news, there's another £23 incoming from Sonic Wrecks' Free Riders poster sale, so the total is sure to climb a little bit more yet!

[Glenn]

In other news, there's another £23 incoming from Sonic Wrecks' Free Riders poster sale, so the total is sure to climb a little bit more yet!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I don't think the phrase "surpassed all expectations" is quite good enough, do you?

[Doctor MK]

SONIC RELIEF 2011:

THE FINAL RESULT

At last, the time has come. After two solid months of fundraising, you can finally take off your Blue Noses and put your wallets away, as Sonic Relief 2011 has reached its end... and what a rollercoaster ride it's been! With more ways of getting involved than ever before it has truly been the definitive campaign, which is quite interesting to note when you take into account that it very nearly didn't happen at all!

Sonic Relief 2011 also marks the end of Sonic Relief for the time being. Due to needing to prioritise studies and other such commitments in the next few years, I won't have the time to put as much into the fundraiser as I would like, so it makes sense to end it on a high while we're still going strong.

But just how much of a high have we ended on? Donations are now closed and I can happily reveal that the grand total raised by Sonic Relief 2011 for Comic Relief is...

£1,032!

That total is, in a word, phenomenal. If you add in the Gift Aid supplements as well, the figure raises to over £1,100. To put it into perspective, this year's total is approximately three times the amount of last year's total, and approximately ten times the amount of 2009's total. Wowzers.

We truly have outdone ourselves this year. As a community we have pulled together and achieved something fantastic - everyone who has been involved should be very proud for having been a part of it and helping to make a difference to those less fortunate than us in the world. I couldn't have asked for a more memorable way of rounding off three years of fun and fundraising, so thank you all. It's a brilliant way to kick off Sonic's 20th Anniversary celebrations and it just goes to show what we Sonic fans can do when we put our minds to it!

Now, what would Sonic Relief be without the creative entries from the fanbase? We've had another slew of excellent artwork, music, videos, etc. this year and as ever it's been difficult to narrow it down to just one that deserves the title of "Best of Sonic Relief 2011". After much careful discussion and deliberation, I can reveal that this year's winning entry is...

"The Sonic Storybook Series" by Dr Spudhead

Dr Spudhead was chosen as our winner for several reasons. Not only has he supported Sonic Relief since its humble beginnings in 2009 with his animations, but this year he has produced something really special. The animation might not be the highest of quality but you can see that a lot of effort and, most importantly, enthusiasm has gone into making this collection of shorts. Congratulations, Dr Spudhead, for putting a smile on our faces!

A second category for entries this year was 'Sonic Relief DIY', in which people could do their own spot of fundraising for our cause. We've had some very profitable entries but the one that raised the most was Gavvie and Mister Stream's "Songs For Sonic 2" album:

Raising nearly £250, this album consisted of entirely original tracks for a non-existant Sonic game. Like Dr Spudhead, Gavvie has supported Sonic Relief in previous years with his work and has put a lot of effort into helping the campaign.

Sadly I don't have all that much in the way of prizes to give out this year, but I will be in touch with the winners of our two categories in due course to work something out!

Honourable mentions for the DIY category include: T-Bird's Sonic plush sale, Sonic Wrecks' Sonic Free Riders poster sale, Emerald Coast's artwork commissions, Glenn Scully's "The Shadow of a GUN" fan-fiction... oh, and if I'm allowed to plug my own entry, my "Sonic: The Age of Steam" fan-fiction!

That about wraps up things for this year. I hope you've all enjoyed Sonic Relief throughout its run, as I've certainly found it to be an enriching experience organising it (even if it has been quite painstaking at times!). But alas, this is the end. I'm not completely ruling out a return in the future, but it won't be for a few years at the very least. Don't worry though, I'll still be around the forums, and hopefully Sonic Relief's legacy shall live on...!

Just before I finish, time for a whopping big shout-out to... *deep breath*... Shadzter, Dreadknux, ArchangelUK, T-Bird, Urtheart, TSSZ News, vger, Pelly, Gavvie, Glenn, Swiss, DJ FLiGHTS and literally everyone who has been a part of Sonic Relief over the course of the last three years. I'm sorry I don't have the time or space to list every single name but rest assured your contributions have been valued in equal measure!

Right then, that's enough from me. Thank you once again for helping me to reach for the stars - and by jove, did we ever reach them!

It's been a pleasure!

Sayonara, Sonic Relief.

[Swiss]

Many congratulations, MK! The campaign reached an excellently huge total and you should be more than proud!

The Age of Steam was awesome (glad I could help with at least something there!), as were the other entries and supporters!

Definitely gone out on a high note! I'll be hoping for a return at some point in the future!

[Core]

Congratulations! That's an impressive amount.

I'm sorry I couldn't make a donation, even though I tried. But it was great to see the event unfold.

[The Tenth Doctor]

Wow, Impressive turn out this year! I hope everyone's as happy with it as Doctor MK is with it (He who has gone above and beyond for his own dream.)

I'd like to say a big Thank You to Sonic Relief over all, as it has given me something to improve myself over. Back in 09, I was still getting used to animation, then in 10 I was experimenting with character drawings. Add everything together for 11 and presto! So thank You Sonic Relief, for proving I can improve upon myself.

Sonic Relief is one of the great times the Sonic Communittee cann come together. I feel happy to have helped in anyway I could.

[Glenn]

Fantastic... absolutely fantastic!

A huge congratulations to Doctor MK for being an outstanding hero of the fanbase! We can't fix the problems of our world with a simple spin dash, so coming together for an excellent and noble cause is the next best alternative. In orchestrating three years of Sonic Relief, Doctor MK has proven us a wonderful bunch of folks, setting aside the usual arguments and division to come together and really do something great. And I mean it when I say "hero", as the money raised is a huge amount that'll save and improve lives across the planet... and it was all thanks to his initiative, drive and time devoted to the cause. The biggest respect possible, sir!

Massive applause also for all who contributed, including the winners of the Best Entry contest, and who donated time, creative talents and money to the campaign! I'm sure such generosity will be appreciated by those who need it most. Feel rightly proud of yourselves, guys!

Because we're Sonic heroes!