“Do something funny for money” is the slogan for this year’s Red Nose Day, that day which comes only once a year when celebrities band together to promote fun and laughter in the name of charity and good causes. This year the day falls on 13th March (Friday of Week 9), meaning that the time is fast approaching if you’re planning on waxing an indecent area of your body, or painting various parts of yourself red for sponsorship money.If you feel like helping to raise money, but would prefer to keep your dignity and bodily hair intact, then the Red Nose Day people have devised a myriad of ways for you to donate cash and have a laugh. Personally I find that the Red Noses themselves constitute hours of fun, you can wear them, throw them, juggle them, and even attach one onto each index finger so as to re-enact favourite movie scenes. This year you can vote for your favourite celebrity undertaking a popular dance routine, if you haven’t yet seen Robert Webb’s version of “What A Feeling” from Flashdance, then I highly recommend that you find it online. Other ways to add to the comic relief pot would be to sponsor the celebrities climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, buy the single released by The Saturdays (it is for a good cause), or the song by Gavin and Stacey stars Ruth Jones and Rob Brydon who are joined by Sir Tom Jones and Robin Gibb.Closer to home, money is being raised by Fylde women’s darts team, who are making a ‘Calendar Girls’ inspired calendar of their own, copies of which will be on sale from the 8th March. There will also be live stand-up taking place in Alexandra Square on the day, with a line-up of local students eager to amuse you into parting with your money. You should also keep an eye out for events in bars and JCR’s with a comic-relief, money raising theme to them.Money raised through comic relief goes towards helping a long list of causes, which are aimed at helping people in both Africa and the UK. Within the UK the money from comic relief helps to fund charities dealing with issues such as domestic violence, mental health problems, refugees and asylum seekers, as well as helping both old and young people in society. In Africa the money that is raised goes into helping street children, people living in poverty, as well as those affected by HIV, wars and national emergencies.Whether you want to throw a party, or simply watch David Tennant (this years guest host) and the show with a red nose on, you can be assured that all the money you give will go directly to a worthwhile cause. This gaurantee is due to the fact that all the costs are covered by comic relief’s sponsors. Information can be found on the Red Nose Day website for all the above ways of donating money, there are also lots of helpful ideas should you wish to organise a money raising event yourself.
