Red Nose Day fever hits Hampstead and Highgate as thousands are raised for Comic Relief

Eleanor Busby Friday, March 15, 2013
7:37 PM

Wacky costumes, brightly-coloured hair dye and a swarm of red noses can only mean one thing - Red Nose Day has arrived in Hampstead and Highgate.

Pupils from North Bridge House Senior School take part in a Comic Relief run in Regent's Park. (From left) students Mathilda (11), Natalie (10), Celia (11) and Michaela (11). Picture: Polly Hancock

Local fundraisers are doing their bit to help the poor and disadvantaged across the UK and Africa for Comic Relief.

Aaran Parti, a nine-year-old boy from Highgate Junior School, has so far managed to raise £670 after spending three hours in the hairdressers bleaching and dyeing his jet-black hair orange.

This is his first-ever fundraising challenge and he is determined to raise £1,000.

Anu Parri, mother of Aaran, said: “It was all his idea and he has really put his heart into it.

“The reaction has been amazing. He has had a great deal of support from friends and family.

“When he first turned up to school they couldn’t believe he had actually done it. They thought it was a wig.

“He isn’t embarrassed at all.”

Elsewhere more than 600 pupils from North Bridge House Junior and Prep School faced the rain to run a cross country course in Regent’s Park today.

Donning red noses, wigs and face paint the pupils, from Years One to Eight, were cheered on by parents, teachers and fellow pupils at the annual charity event. The school hopes to raise £5,000 from the fun run.

Siobhan McGrath, acting headteacher at the school, said: “It was a fantastic day, and great to see all the children brave the mud to raise money for such a good cause.”

Haverstock School also played host to a sponsored work-out as it held a 24 hour overnight triathlon that finished this afternoon.

Some 64 students and eight staff took part in the challenge, each participating in eight half hour periods of intense exercise.

Ken Johnson, head of PE at the school, has been running these endurance events for four years in aid of Comic Relief.

He said: “The kids loved it. There was such a great team spirit. They really feel like they have achieved something. It is a challenge they will never forget.”

Red Nose Day is also set to take over The Princess of Wales pub in Primrose Hill tonight and tomorrow, with a red nose bobbing contest and a special Comic Relief cocktail on offer.

£1 from each Comic Cosmopolitan sold will be donated to the charity. If you guess the ingredients correctly every penny goes to the cause and you win a lesson in cocktail making.

Karen Santi, the landlady of the pub, said: “We just want to have fun raising as much money as possible and get the local community involved.”

* To see a full photo gallery of pictures from all the local Red Nose Day events in Hampstead and Highgate click the link at the top right hand side of the page.