The BBC are reporting that they are suspending a Blue Peter badge scheme. Why? Cheeky blighters are buying them on eBay and presenting them as if they ‘earned’ them and claiming the benefits.
Non-BBC readers may be confused as to the relevance of the Blue Peter badge. Blue Peter is a British institution. The late afternoon TV show for children, which every child in the UK has watched, awarded badges to children who hard work and appeared on the show. Back in the 70’s they were highly prized items – the sort of thing that people would place under their pillow when they slept.
In the thirty or so years since then they may have got a little slack with their distribution because people are now selling them on eBay. Heresy in the old days. It’s be like chucking out your Jim’ll Fix It badge.
This may not be news to owners of the hallowed Badge, but apparently Blue Peter has a deal with over 100 venues around the UK that gives free entry.
Some rotters have clearly come to learn this and have been pursuing on eBay. The £30-odd that they are paying for them more than balance the amounts of money they have saving by getting in free to the locations.
Having become aware of this, the BBC say that they have been forced in to reconsidering if the free access to venues will continue.
A spokesman said: “The BBC investigations unit has been monitoring eBay over the past few months and has noticed badges being sold in large numbers by individual sellers.”