SWINDON has been experiencing an outbreak of hilarity.

The contagious syndrome affected thousands of people across the town as companies, schools and local groups enjoyed a good giggle as part of Red Nose Day.

For headteacher John Dickens at Chiseldon Primary School, it seemed the laugh was on him.

Children at the school were marking the day of fundraising with lots of events, but Mr Dickens was nervous, because the more money raised, the more pain he was to face.

He said: "It's slightly wrong of me, to say this, but although I want the children to raise lots of money for Comic Relief, I don't want them to either.

"If we raise £250 my moustache comes off, but if we raise more than £500 my legs would get waxed that I am worried about that."

In the end the school raised so much money he had to have suffer - both the moustache removal and the ouch-inducing waxing.

The day had started well, staff had beaten the children at the school 3-2 during a special Red Nose Day football match.

At Uplands School at the Learning Campus in Tadpole Lane, students and staff raised about £450 with sponsored swims, window cleaning and baking cakes.

Students Daniel Nichols, Natalie Mordecai and Aaron Oats attempted to travel on as many buses as they could in a school day, riding on 50 by home time.

Rona Compton, the head of the post-16 unit at the school, said: "It's been a fun day, with lots of things happening. Our headteacher has been wearing big red ears, even in her meetings."

At the Co-op supermarket in Eldene, staff on the tills and in aisles made a big effort to dress up St Trinian's-style.

At waste management firm Averies, staff decorated several of the company's vehicles with bright red noses.

Computer chip firm Intel had one of the most organised Red Nose Day events.

For the past three weeks staff at the company had been pledging money for senior managers to carry out a series of slave tasks that would see them cleaning the pond, washing cars and emptying rubbish bins.

Managers were also called upon to deliver coffee and cake to staff.

But there were also pub quizzes, a variety show and Intel's own version of the Diet Coke break advert.

At New College, students had the chance to enjoy the warm weather by taking part in a giant inflatable table-top football game, and there was also a rowing competition without the need for participants to get wet.

At Storm Recruitment, in Commercial Road, Rachel McCann and Stacey Rowe took to the streets as Catwoman and Batwoman visiting companies and urging them to dig deep for Comic Relief, Together they raised more than £600.

Rachel, who is the sales and marketing manager at the firm, said: "We thought we would go around a few of the big companies as superheroines, "We certainly got some odd looks, particularly when we went to the receptions of some of the firms who had to explain they had Batwoman and Catwoman in the lobby."

And, as an alternative to the Comic Relief telethon, pole dance teacher Christine Davies held a special six-hour pole-dancing marathon at Yates Wine Bar in Swindon town centre.

Residents of Swindon Foyer have also been busy collecting on behalf of Comic Relief.

The young team, organised by Michelle Lowton, Amanda Driscoll, and Trevor Lear, managed to raise £47 in the morning offering a car washing service to locals .

Later on a further £61.12 was raised thanks to Lee Conti, Mathew Bickell, Andy Page, Amwar Charma and Sol Dale, who sold cakes that they had made earlier to passers-by in Old Town.