Wharfedale was hit by a variety of weird and whacky activities to support the Comic Relief charity on Red Nose Day.

Lots of people joined in the fun with a serious intent and helped to raise a total of more than £40 million nationally.

Staff and residents at Ilkley's Troutbeck Nursing Home on Crossbeck Road got into the spirit of the day with a variety of colourful fundraising activities.

Staff made donations in exchange for turning up to work dressed in red clothes, and some also sport red wigs and red noses.

Some of the residents also wore red for the day. A fundraising raffle was organised at the home and the home's chef made special decorated biscuits for the day.

Activities organiser, Carolyn Edgar, said: "We had quite a fun day."

At Natwest Bank, Otley, workers spent the day climbing the equivalent of Mount Everest on a fitness stepping machine and raised more than £1,000.

Staff at the bank had set themselves a target of £250, which was to be matched by the bank, and were delighted when they actually picked up more than double the amount.

Assistant manager, Philippa Pemberton, said customers had been very generous.

"We are mostly ladies of a certain age' and during the course of the day's banking, we worked in relay doing time on the stepper. It's five and a half miles from sea level to the top of Everest, so we thought we'd see if we could do it in a fun fuelled day of furious fundraising."

All seven staff members, including manager, Isobel Mead, took part in the challenge and had reached the summit by 3.15pm. Our legs have nearly recovered," added Mrs Pemberton.

At Otley All Saints Primary School, children raised £160 by turning two places in the school bright red. A fence around the playground was turned red with a collection of clothes, cardboard and a banner with material donated by textile company Naylor Jennings of Green Lane, Yeadon.

Eileen Fitzpatrick head teacher at Ashlands Primary School in Ilkley said that all the children and teachers took part by dressing in red clothes for the day and donating £1 each for the charity. Mrs Fitzpatrick said that some of the children also raised money privately and brought that in. Altogether the school has raised around £200 for the charity.

Jane Drake head of Addingham Primary, praised the contribution of parents who helped by baking hundreds of buns to sell, helping to raise the total to £525. Mrs Drake said: "I was amazed how much we raised. The parents were superb."

As well as buying buns, the children were encouraged to dress up in big clothes with big hair and many added the colour red to their outfits. They also took part in a design your own red nose' competition.

All kinds of fun and games were on offer at Ghyll Royd School, Burley-in-Wharfedale, as well as dressing up with red noses and red big hair wigs, pupils also tucked into red nosed meatballs' for lunch. The school building was also dressed up for the day, with its own giant red nose.

Head teacher, Irene Connor, said: "I am delighted to say that whilst having such fun our boys have also raised £254.21 to help make less fortunate children happy too."

Burley Oaks Primary School held a Gunge Idol competition where children voted for which member of staff they would like to see gunged in the Red Nose Day assembly. Jan Dibb, caretaker, Year Two teacher Lucy Worsman and Richard Sells, Year five and six teacher were the unfortunate staff. The event raised £630 for Comic Relief.

Children and staff at St Oswald's C of E (Aided) Junior School donated money to Comic Relief so they could go to school on the day sporting big hair, loud clothes and bling.

The Red Nose Day activities, which included a bun sale, were organised by teacher Jo Featherstone and raised £1,089.

Two hundred and forty pupils were joined by ten staff to form the biggest conga in the world' at Yeadon Westfield Junior School.

The massive procession danced its way around the school and playground for Comic Relief, and pupils also took part in the biggest football match in the world', using a 3ft diameter ball.

Head teacher Andrea Eddison said: "We had a very good time. The school council organised for everybody to wear their pyjamas and dressing gowns provided they made a donation of at least 50p, so most people were either in pyjamas or dressed in red. We raised just short of £200."

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