Red Nose Day

Red Nose Day is the main way in which Comic Relief, a British charity, raises money. It is held in the spring every second year and is often treated as a semi-holiday, with, for example, schools having non-uniform days. The day culminates in a live telethon event on BBC One starting in the evening and going through into the early hours of the morning, but other money-raising events take place all over the country.

To raise money on Red Nose Day, you just have to do something funny, like wearing plastic/foam red noses which are available, in exchange for a donation, from many shops. People are encouraged to wear the noses to help raise awareness of the charity. The design of the nose has been changed each year, beginning with a fairly plain one, which later grew arms, turned into a tomato and even changed colour. Over 50 million Red Noses have been bought over the years. Other funny things may be wearing something funny, or waxing a part of your body, selling articles or organizing competitions. There are plenty of ideas if you run short of them.

Red Nose Day has become very popular in Britain, with thousands of people involved. It has even spread to other countries like New Zealand. Since the Charity started in the 1980s, Comic Relief has raised over £600 million.