HUNDREDS of children and elderly people donned plastic red noses and fancy dress to help raise more than £63 million in this’s Comic Relief Red Nose Day.

They included primary school children in Bradford on Avon, Freshford, Melksham, Trowbridge, Warminster and Westbury, as well as care home residents in their 70s, 80s and 90s.

Children and staff at the River Mead Primary School in Melksham staged a comical cake competition on Wednesday, March 13 and had a cake sale at the end of school.

In total, for the cake sale and non-uniform they raised £200.25 to donate to the national Comic Relief Appeal.

Pupils at Freshford Church of England Primary School queued up to have their red noses painted on today, instead of buying plastic ones.

Spokeswoman Liz Lowe said: “The school wanted to support Comic Relief but didn't want to add to the plastic pollution problem.

“Freshford school recently signed up to The Plastic Free Schools initiative, run by the charity Surfers Against Sewage: a pupil-led programme aimed at reducing single-use plastic.”

At Sutton Veny Primary School near Warminster, pupils were urged to wear their red noses for the school’s afternoon assembly.

Staff at the Wiltshire Heights care home in Bradford on Avon team dressed in the “wrong trousers” and hosted a day of events including a Mona Lisa -themed photo shoot donated to the home by Stephen Kerr and the team at the Three store in The Shires shopping centre in Trowbridge.

They also organised an array of games and a performance by the amazing Imperial Charity with afternoon tea for the 50-plus residents.

Libby Miles, Client Services Manager for Wiltshire Heights, said: “The leisure and wellness team have done an amazing job, pulling together all of these resources to create a day of fun for the residents.

“The team look great in their outfits and the residents really enjoyed being part of the Mona Lisa Photo Shoot. It really has been a day to remember.”

By the end of the national television broadcast, more than £63 million had been raised – about £8 million down on the £71.3 million raised by the last Red Nose Day two years ago.

This year's Red Nose Day telethon also saw a dip in ratings, with an average of 5.6 million people tuning in - 600,000 fewer viewers compared to 2017.

The highest amount the event has raised so far was £108.4m in 2011, once all the pledges had been redeemed.

Half the money raised from Comic Relief goes to causes in the UK and half to those around the world.

The fundraising TV show also featured an appearance from Little Mix - who looked less than impressed when former shadow chancellor Ed Balls had a go at singing one of their biggest hits, Shout Out To My Ex.

The chart-topping band and the Strictly Come Dancing favourite were among a number of celebrities who climbed Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain.

Popular segments in the telethon included spoofs of the Mamma Mia 2 film starring Jennifer Saunders, the Bodyguard starring Joanna Lumley, Keeley Hawes and Richard Madden, and a short sequel to Four Weddings and a Funeral, one of the UK’s biggest-grossing films, released 25 years ago.