Joe, who hails from Hall Green, visited the Black Country's Sycamore Adventure Centre yesterday to find out how money raised by Comic Relief has been helping them.

Set in two acres of land, Sycamore Adventure Playground gives local children the gift of carefree play offering everything from trampolines and tree houses to an indoor play barn and sensory room. 

The playground is open for public sessions for a small donation and was accessed by 23,000 people last year including children with disabilities and families from poverty stricken backgrounds.

Money from Comic Relief was used to buy four Go Karts for children to use outdoors. Having such a wide range of activities on offer for visitors to the playground allows them to enjoy experiences that might not otherwise be available for them, stay active and develop their social and practical skills. Joe said:

“Friends of Sycamore Adventure is a fantastic project, the local families are lucky to have somewhere that they can come, escape and just be themselves.

"You can really see how much these children are enjoying themselves, it’s amazing that funding from charities like Comic Relief has made sure they have somewhere safe to just be kids.” 

Play Service Manager, Keith Rogers, added:

“Allowing local children to come and play at Sycamore Adventure Playground is giving them time out from the high-pressured environments they live in, letting them forget their worries and play as children should.

“Thanks to the money from Comic Relief, we were able to add to our fleet of Go Karts. Giving our local children somewhere safe to come to, especially in the school holidays, is so important and we’re glad that Friends of Sycamore Adventure can offer that to them.”

Comic Relief is calling on the generous people of the West Midlands to once again fundraise and help change lives across the UK and Africa. A whole host of comedians and celebrities are supporting this year’s Red Nose Day on Friday 24th March, from 7pm on BBC1.

A host of comic favourites from Sir Lenny Henry to French and Saunders, preside over a mammoth night of live comedy, sketches, music moments, fundraising films and more. Joe will be part of the presenting team, where throughout the night he will be joined by fellow stand-up Micky Flanagan and Val from The Great British Bake Off in live footage from Pizza Express in London’s O2.

Find out how you can get involved and make your laugh matter at rednoseday.com. You can hear Dan Richards chatting to Joe on Drivetime, this Friday from 4pm.