Bristol, Bath and the West

First raises funds by doing something funny for money

Cake sales, raffles, karaoke, bucket collections, casual dress, pyjamas at work, fancy dress and red noses - not your average day at work, but just some of the ways First UK Bus staff did something funny for money on Red Nose Day and helped Comic Relief raise a record-breaking £57 million.

In Bristol and Somerset, First drivers and their passengers raised more than £885 for Comic Relief; the largest individual amount raised by any of First's operating companies.

In total though, more than £10,000 was donated to Comic Relief by First UK Bus. The money will be used to help transform lives in both Africa and the UK.

On the day itself (13 March), 7,000 First bus drivers across the UK showed their support by wearing official red noses that were provided by First UK Bus.

In Bristol and Taunton, drivers also wore fancy dress and back office teams raised funds by holding dress down days and running raffles for the worthwhile charity.

Elsewhere in the country, bus drivers in South Wales staged a karaoke session in the bus station offering members of the public the chance to showcase their talents in exchange for donations, whilst staff in Leicester sold cakes in the bus station (raising £350 as a result), and the team in Manchester made themselves feel at home by wearing their pyjamas to work.

Schools around the country also supported First by joining their yellow school bus drivers in wearing red noses.

Justin Davies, Managing Director, First Bristol, Somerset and Avon, said: "First has a long-standing tradition of supporting terrific fundraising events like this and Comic Relief allowed us to have a bit of fun while helping raise monies for a very worthwhile cause. It was all about doing something funny for money and our staff across the country certainly lived up to that by coming up with some wonderful ways to make some much-needed cash for Comic Relief.

"Our aim is to transform travel, but what our staff have achieved by doing something funny for money is help transform lives - we are very proud of them."