South & West Wales - De a Gorllewin Cymru

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 Swansea, First employees and customers raised more than £650 for Comic Relief when they staged a karaoke session in The Quadrant bus station in Swansea. In total though, more than £10,000 was donated to Comic Relief by First. 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 Swansea, bus drivers and customers sang karaoke in the bus station - with people paying to have a go, and onlookers making donations too. Elsewhere in the country, bus drivers in Bristol wore fancy dress to work, whilst back office teams raised funds by holding dress down days and raffles. In Leicester, First employees sold cakes in the bus station raising £350 as a result, and in Manchester, staff made themselves feel at home by wearing their pyjamas to work.

Up and down the country, schools also supported First by joining their yellow school bus drivers in wearing red noses.

Tony McNiff, Managing Director, First Cymru, 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."