What the heck, you say? Red Nose Day is a celebrated day in the UK, usually every other year, on which the Comic Relief organisation encourages the public to engage in fundraising for charity. Comic Relief is a charity, founded in the United Kingdom in 1988 by the comedy scriptwriters Richard Curtis and Alexander Mendis in response to famine in Ehtiopia.
Local and national fundraising occurs the weeks leading up to the highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is in a biennial telethon. For you yanks, think Jerry Lewis' MDA Telethon and you get kinda close to the concept.
The charity states that its aim is to "bring about positive and lasting change in the lives of poor and disadvantaged people, which we believe requires investing in work that addresses people's immediate needs as well as tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice.
One of the fundamental principles behind working at Comic Relief is the "Golden Pound Principle" where every single donated pound (£) is spent on charitable projects. All operating costs, such as staff salaries, are covered by corporate sponsors (BBC, Sainsbury's and British Telecom) are covered by corporate sponsors, or interest earned on money waiting to be distributed. In 2009, £80 Million pounds was raised.
The most prominent symbol of Comic Relief is a plastic/foam "red nose", which is given in various supermakrets and charity shops such as Oxfam in exchange for a donation to the charity and to make others laugh. People are encouraged to wear the noses on Red Nose Day to help raise awareness of the charity.
So, there you have it...and my friend Cyn led the pack on her fundraising through her bake sale activities...stylish red nose and t-shirt!
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