Comic Relief: Finding the fun in many inspiring ways for Red Nose Day 2011 in Chichester, Bognor Regis, Midhurst and Petworth

Children at the Busy Bugs baby and toddler gym in West Wittering enjoyed Red Nose cookies and dressed in their favourite costumes for a party, with Lola Bell Mann, two, winning the best-dressed prize. Staff at Chichester District Council held cake sales, a raffle and ‘pick a pose’ competition. Lucy Rawcliffe and Emma McDonald from Be Designed Jewellery offered face painting and refreshments in the Assembly Rooms at a craft fair organised by Polka Dot House and Lilly’s Boutique.

Chichester High School for Boys had an array of events, including a sixth-form spacehopper challenge and a staff versus pupils basketball game. Teachers Steve Lines and Mark Hughes make their own version of the 1991 video The Stonk, some teachers did battle in a Gladiator contest while others joined a Let’s Dance challenge with their own remake of the Cheryl Cole hit Fight For This Love, featuring sixth-form students Rob Prior, Rhys Gillings and Reece Cavozzi as backing dancers. Pupils at Jessie Younghusband School had a number of fun activities organised by the Friends group, including a red raffle, money on the nose, cake decorating and a joke board.

Red-nosed staff and students from The Regis School were given a London Olympics challenge to travel 500 metres in the most creative way possible, marking the 500-day countdown, and fundraisers leap-frogged and rolled across the finish line.

Aspiring author Lydia Taylor, 11, used her creative talents to raise funds by writing an eight-page story about how the famous red nose got its colour. Marine Opal publishers in Chichester Marina agreed to print the book free of charge and Lydia sold copies to fellow pupils at Slindon CE Primary School. Pupils at Nyewood CE Infant School explored the work and importance of Comic Relief in assembly then designed environmentally-friendly hats using recycled materials and decorated cakes and biscuits for a sale at the end of the day.

Arun District Council chief executive Ian Sumnall swapped his council office for a refuse vehicle and spent the day working as a binman in aid of the charity. Other council staff became temporary recycling round loaders and street sweepers.

Petworth hairdressers Deja Vu dressed up as clowns and walked round the town with charity buckets, as well as dispensing homemade cakes and rolls to customers while Anja Blackwell kept everyone entertained with African drumming.

At Petworth Primary School, staff and children arrived with wacky hair-dos and an assortment of red outfits, while at Rogate Primary School, children took part in a sponsored silence – some for the whole day. Two girls swam 40 lengths and pupils ran laps of the school field, with Thomas Bowles, Tom Grange and Alonn Castle dressing up as girls for the run for a bit of fun.

Almost every child at Fernhurst Primary School appeared in red clothes, with hair to marvel at or in pyjamas, and at Plaistow and Kirdford Primary School, fairies, ballet dancers and princesses were the order of the day for both boys and girls aged ten and 11, who all took part in a three-legged walk around Plaistow.

In Midhurst, youngsters at play leader Chris Reseigh’s Nursery Class rolled up for a day of fun at the circus, running Red Nose and spoon races, pinning a Red Nose on the Gruffalo and doing the wibbly wobbly clown walk.

See also:

Remembering the life and times of punk prodigy Poly Styrene

How Chichester and Bognor Regis areas celebrated the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977

So many reasons to celebrate as Chichester’s Pallant House Gallery marks 40 years

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