It’s perhaps the only day of the year when people are encouraged to act silly for cash.

Red Nose Day is here again - and we can expect hundreds of spontaneous acts of wackiness to take place across Ipswich and beyond.

Now one of the biggest fundraising dates in the calendar, Comic Relief has made a tradition of zany antics and absurd escapades... all in the name of charity.

As always, the people of Ipswich are going at it with gusto, aiming to raise a huge amount for the cause - and some have already begun their charitable capers.

Hundreds of students and staff at Otley College embraced the Comic Relief mantra and did something “funny for money”.

Events included face painting, fancy dress and raffles. And representatives from the student services team, got into the spirit of proceedings by re-enacting the famous pose from the music video from Queen’s popular song, Bohemian Rhapsody.

An Ipswich business meanwhile broke with tradition and decided to wear red ears instead of red noses.

The team from the Hearing Care Centre organised their own ‘red ear day’ and paraded around in big red ears.

UK Power Networks customer service manager Andy Jenner and team leader Tom Berry have volunteered to have their beard and head shaved, respectively - and now Andy has been persuaded to have his legs waxed too if colleagues volunteer to pay �1 per wax strip.

Students and Staff at Suffolk One have been gearing up for their first ever Comic Relief this week.

Member’s of the ‘One Cabinet’ - an organisation that represents the views and interests of all Suffolk One students - have been busy preparing a range of events.

The highlight of the week will see a musical performance by London-based alternative rock band Just Me Again at 12.30pm today.

Sainsbury’s employees in Ipswich are all geared up to raise money too, with Tim Webster from the supermarket’s Upper Brook Street store doing a sponsored run from the Warren Heath Store to Hadleigh Road stores.

Meanwhile, members of staff donned an array of costumes - all in aid of charity.

At Felixstowe, sixth form students entered into the Red Nose fun with a host of activities in their lunch break.

While his friends did something funny for money, Joe Reeve did something painful – volunteering to have his chest waxed.

Other students came in fancy dress, including – three year 11 girls as characters from Avatar, all covered in blue paint – and there was also face painting, cakes stalls and even some Spice Girl dancing.

The whole school took part in a non-uniform day with half the money split between Comic Relief and the Treehouse Appeal

At Chantry High School everyone will dressed as pirates and the toddlers group at St Margaret’s Hall, Bolton Lane, will be holding a raffle with lots of top prizes on offer.

Meanwhile, the team at Ipswich Buses got into the spirit by adding red noses to the front of buses.

And brave Chantry resident Steve Holloway is having his legs shaved for Comic Relief at Chantry Residents Association community shop in Lavender Hill.

In Felixstowe, fundraisers in the town and surrounding area have also been doing their bit for Red Nose Day – and having a great time too.

The money has been rolling in from a variety of events held over the past week in aid of the Comic Relief effort.

Trevor Simpson, of Burnham Close, Trimley St Mary, bravely sat in a bath of custard for nearly two hours at Sainsbury’s in Warren Heath, Ipswich.

“We made about 18 pints of custard and then offered children the chance to pour it into the bath if their parents made a donation,” said Mr Simpson, a night shift worker who has been at the store for 25 years.

“The children thought it was hilarious.”

Supported by co-worker Barbara Handscombe, who has worked at the store for ten years, he raised �200 – some �80 in donations and �120 sponsorship from colleagues.

At Lacey’s Fitness Centre in Cobbold Road, Felixstowe, gym staff and about 60 members took part in a 12-hour rowathon, raising �100.

Owner Abbi Lacey said: “The idea was to have the rowing machine in use for 12 hours non-stop. People put their names down for the times they could do and then other people who came in filled in the spaces, rowing until the next person arrived.”

Bailey’s Photography in Orwell Road, Felixstowe, is filling its window with Red Nose-inspired pictures and is holding special photo sessions to create the display.

“Our aim is to fill three windows in my shop front with Red Nose pictures and help raise a lot of money for Comic Relief,” said Mr Bailey.

In Bury St Edmunds staff and members of the town’s leisure centre took on a 100km trek to emulate the group of celebrities who completed five days during the Comic Relief Desert Trek.

Stars including Lorraine Kelly, Dermot O’Leary and Scott Mills completed a trek across the Kaisut Desert, in Kenya, in February.

But unlike the stars, staff and members didn’t leave the leisure centre as they will be completing the challenge on treadmills and cross-trainers.

At the Strada restaurant in the town centre staff were carrying out a day of silence and Howard Primary School is holding a Monster Mash dressing up as monsters.

Other fund raising activities were also taking place in the Arc shopping centre with staff at Waterstones dressing up and reading Gruffalo stories and at Costa a Mad Hatters tea party is taking place.

Comic Relief was launched on Christmas Day in 1985 as a response to famine in Ethiopia.

The Comic Relief concept was to gather British comedians to help raise money for aid needed in Ethiopia and tackling the broader needs of poor and disadvantaged people in Africa and at home in the UK.

The first Red Nose Day was held in 1988 and raised �15m. The eleven Red Nose Days that have followed since have raised more than �459m.

In December 2001, Comic Relief launched Sport Relief - another fundraising campaign which takes place on alternate years with Red Nose Day.

- We want your Comic Relief stories and pictures. E-mail mark.heath@archant.co.uk, call the news desk on 01473 324788, or leave your comments below!

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