SUPERHEROES old and young will be descending on Swindon tomorrow to raise money for Children in Need.

The annual fundraiser, for disadvantaged children across the country, takes on a superhero theme this year and schools, colleges and businesses in the town are getting on board.

Employees at Nationwide will once again be manning the phones during the evening at their call centre in Pegasus House, Windmill Hill.

Last year, the volunteers took more than 4,500 calls from the public and this year they have pledged to keep 100 lines open until 2am in a bid to build on their success.

Several schools around town, including Ruskin Junior School and St Francis School, will be holding a superheroes day to raise funds, with students dressed as their favourite hero in exchange for a small donation to the cause.

Nyland Campus children will be holding a wacky hair day and a cake sale during the day and from 6.30pm onwards will take part in a sleepover at school.

Pupil service officer Sarah-Jayne Dawes said: “The children are all donating money to do these things and this is the first sleepover we have had at Nyland Campus. The children are very excited.”

Parents of children at Wroughton Junior School are busy baking cakes to help with fundraising, which will then be sold by the children on the day to raise cash.

“As well as the lunch time cake sale, the students will be dressing up as a superheroes and will draw their own superheroes as part of a drawing competition.

“The school will be selling Pud-sey wristbands, keyrings and hair bands with Pudsey bear ears.”

At New College, students will take part in a superhero fancy dress competition while the student events team have organised an open mic, cake sale and other competitions to be held during the day of fun.

Swindon College have been hosting activities all week in a bid to raise as much as possible for Children in Need.

Student Services Monkey murder mystery, where the teddy mascot has been murdered in a Cluedo themed game where students can donate 25p to guess clues to work out the mystery, has proved popular, while hospitality students have been making pancakes and milkshakes to sell to students.

Early Years students are wearing their pyjamas to college tomorrow while others can donate £1 to wear onesies, silly hats and wigs. Hairdressing students are also donating money from blow-dries, sets and styling, as well as cake sales.

To spearhead this year’s appeal celebrities including singer Tom Jones, actress Helena Bonham Carter and celebrity chef Paul Hollywood have also dressed as superheroes and called on the nation to ‘sign up, pledge their allegiance and be a hero’.

A Children in Need fundraising spokesperson said: “At BBC Children in Need, our fundraisers are our heroes, without them we wouldn’t be able to make the difference that we do to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people right here in the UK.”

For more information about the campaign go to www.bbc.co.uk/childreninneed