IT’S CHILD’S PLAY FOR WRITERS

Writers are being urged by actress Lynda Bellingham to help raise money for Barnado's.

Lynda wants writers to submit funny stories about kids for a new book being published by United Press to help raise funds for Barnado's.

"Barnado's does a lot of great work and writers can help by submitting their funny stories for the book," explained Linda. She was at a Barnado's family centre in Manchester to launch the appeal for submissions.

"We want writers to submit funny things they have heard children say," explained Lynda.

You can email entries to kids@unitedpress.co.uk or kids@shortstorysociety.co.uk or post them to - Things Kids Say, United Press, Admail 3735, London EC1B 1JB. The book will feature hundreds of entries from all over the UK. It will be on sale at £5.99 and half of this will go to Barnado's.

"I'm sure most writers have a funny story they can tell. And all the stories will help to raise cash for Barnado's," said Managing Director of United Press, Peter Quinn."We’ve helped to raise over £150,000 for charities in the past five years, and we hope this is another of our successful charity projects."

Lynda has already made her contribution to the book. It was something she did when she was little - and it caused plenty of blushes for her mum.

"I was quite an outspoken child, and my mother warned me not to be rude to strangers. She said that if someone annoyed me, I should be polite - then afterwards I could say what I liked. Soon after this, someone stood on my foot on a crowded train and I said to him, very politely, and gently, 'That's quite alright, Sir.' Then I added, very angrily, 'You stupid, ignorant swine!'”