Bracknell

There will be some hair-raising capers and whacky stunts going on in Bracknell town centre to raise cash for Comic Relief this week.

Members of Bracknell Day Services, a centre for people with learning disabilities run by Bracknell Forest Borough Council, will be hosting a day full of fun, entertainment and hair-raising stunts at the bandstand in Bracknell town centre.

To raise money for the charity event there will be a sponsored Channel row - where Bracknell day centre members, members of staff and the general public will be asked to row as much as they can in order to reach a total of 25 miles - the distance of the English Channel.

International and British rowing champion Mark Hunter will be also lending a helping hand to reach the target when he stops by about 1.30pm.

A sponsored wax ,hair cut and head shave will see staff from the Council's community care team lose their hair. Since mid February staff at the Council have been pledging money to see several members of staff lose their hair.

If £1,000 is raised Derek McCarthy, Manager of Bracknell Waymead Short Term Care, will have his chest and legs waxed in public. If £1,500 is raised Zoë Johnstone, Locality Manager, will have her flowing blonde locks chopped and if £2,000 is raised Mark Sanders, Development Manager, will have his head shaved.

There will also be music and other entertainment to keep the people of Bracknell motivated to donate to such a worthy cause.

Bracknell Day Services also arranged a quiz night and car wash to raise extra cash for their fundraising total.

Other members of staff will also be doing there bit for Comic Relief throughout the week. James Tough, Child Care Practioner at the Family Tree Nursery will be sitting in a bath of tomato soup for two hours on Thursday, March 15, from 12.30pm. Children from the nursery will be supporting James and selling red noses on the day.

Staff cakes sales, with delicious home-made treats, will also be raising cash for Comic Relief on Friday morning at the Brakenhale Open Learning Centre and in Time Square.

Glyn Jones, Assistant Director of Community Care, said: "Members of Bracknell Day Services have put a lot of effort into organising a special one-off fundraising event for Comic Relief.

"It isn't an easy task to put a day like this together and so I really hope that residents and shoppers in Bracknell town centre support them in reaching a really good fund-raising total. All money will go to Comic Relief to help people around the world who are not fortunate enough to have the opportunities that we all take for granted."

Cllr Dale Birch, Executive Member for Adult Services, Health Commissioning and Housing, added: "Comic Relief is a great way of raising money for charity and I'm pleased that members of Bracknell Day Services have seized the opportunity to create a fun-filled way of encouraging people to donate to this worthy cause.

"I hope that when people see them dressed in red with their red noses on and collecting tin in hand that they dig deep in their pockets and give generously."

Bracknell Forest Borough Council