Bucket-loads of fun and money as thousands paint the county red in name of Comic Relief ; Across Derbyshire, sensible, ordinary people were yesterday... [Derby Evening Telegraph (England)]

(Derby Evening Telegraph (England) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Bucket-loads of fun and money as thousands paint the county red in name of Comic Relief ; Across Derbyshire, sensible, ordinary people were yesterday pelted with sponges, savaged by wax strips and dressed up in red for this year's Comic Relief appeal. Chris Jones reports.

A TEAM of lawyers were all at sea yesterday, rowing for eight straight hours - without once leaving their office.

Staff at Bemrose & Ling Solicitors stuck their oar in and pulled their weight to sail straight towards their Pounds 1,000 target.

They were, like so many other people yesterday across Derby, Derbyshire and the rest of the country, raising money for Comic Relief.

The project, set up by writer Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry, was celebrating its 25th year.

But ahead of last night's mammoth television show, thousands of people were getting up to all sorts of weird, funny and painful activities to add their digits to the total raised.

At Bemrose & Ling, that meant dumping a rowing machine in a spare meeting room, dividing the 14 staff members up into pairs and tag- teaming the machine for eight hours straight.

Perspiring Claire Mitchell, trainee solicitor, said she had taken four 15-minute stints.

She said: "It's been really good. You do Comic Relief and for one day there's this fun atmosphere where everybody is taking part and doing their best and it just lifts morale.

"We have also had a bit of a bake-off and auctioned the results and we should hit the Pounds 1,000 target easily." Electronics firm Tioga, in Mansfield Road, was fully immersed in the fund-raising spirit, with worker Hannah Godfrey organising a range of events, including a sponsored cycle, tombola and raffle. Angela Bond, from the firm, said it had been a success and raised at least Pounds 1,000.

She said: "We have had a name-the-bear competition and we have had an auction for four hampers full of alcohol and food, so they have gone down well.

"The whole atmosphere is relaxed and fun; it's like the dress- down days you used to get at school, that sense of doing something different at work. We have had a cycle set up on the factory floor and from 6am to 5pm, it has been going non-stop. Staff have done 15- minute stints and been sponsored." Staff from bus company Trent Barton attempted to raise Pounds 500 through their baking skills, selling passengers on the Red Arrow service cupcakes throughout the day.

Staff at Sainsbury's stores across Derbyshire were all involved in the shenanigans, too. Chief among the moneyspinning ideas was leg waxing.

The painful procedure was carried out in a few stores, including at The Wyvern and Ripley. In Ripley, staff member Stuart Joynes said: "There was lots going off. Staff were in pyjamas, we had Ripley Guides packing bags and a jelly bath challenge which was, well, a mess.

"We had our managers in the stocks to have wet sponges pelted at them - I'm going into them myself on Saturday and I'm sure no one will take any great pleasure in doing that to me. Maybe." Leg waxing was also being carried out by Erewash Borough Council.

Staff at both Long Eaton and Ilkeston town halls were wearing red for the occasion and Mick Oldfield, 52, the customer service manager at Ilkeston's Town Hall, was brave enough to have his legs waxed in the morning.

He raised more than Pounds 300.

He said: "It was my colleague's idea to do this and first of all I said no chance but they said they'd raise at least Pounds 100 so how could I not if they were going to do that "I've never had my legs waxed before so I didn't know how much it was going to hurt but I tried not to think about it.

"I've known it's been happening for three weeks and it's too long." Last night's eight-hour programme, broadcast on BBC One and Two, was the last big show from Television Centre in West London.

It featured some of the biggest names in comedy and entertainment, including James Corden, Will Ferrell and Hugh Grant and an appearance by Ricky Gervais, reprising his character from The Office, David Brent.

cjones@derbytelegraph.co.uk GO ONLINE TO SEE VIDEOS AND UPLOAD PICTURES ENJOY the agony of Comic Relief leg-waxing in our fabulous videos online.

The Bemrose & Ling rowing and Webtistic and Monetise tea party are also among the featured videos. Just search for "Comic Relief" on our website at www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk.

And, while you're there, why not upload some of your Comic Relief pictures for your fellow readers to enjoy It takes only minutes to get them on to our website.

First, you need to register on the site so you have your own profile. You can do this at https://register.thisis.co.uk/ register.html. Then go to www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/addgallery.

html and follow the simple instructions. You can add as many galleries as you wish.

Once you have uploaded your pictures hit the submit button and our team will quickly check them over. They will appear at www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/pictures - in our picture gallery.

"The atmosphere is relaxed and fun; like dress-down days you used to get at school." ANGELA BOND (c) 2013 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved.

[ Back To Technology News's Homepage ]