THE Basingstoke Bison ice hockey team are gearing up for Mad Hair Day.

Netminder Scott Hay and defenceman Benoit Cotnoir encouraged pupils at Winklebury Junior School to join in next Friday's fun when they visited the school this week.

And a year's supply of Wella products have also been put up for grabs in a bid to entice more people to take part in Mad Hair Day, which is being held in aid of St Michael's Hospice.

It's now just seven days until the major fundraising event and this week web surfers have been given a chance to net a prize as part of the drive to encourage people to get a wacky look on October 25.

Staff at Wella and St Michael's are asking internet surfers to log on to their websites to find the answers to the following two questions: "What are the four autumn/winter 2002 fashion trends?" and "How many beds are there in the in-patient unit of St Michael's Hospice?"

You will need to browse through Wella's Consumer Hair Advisory Team website to find out about the latest fashion trends. These can be accessed on www.wella.co.uk/chat

To find out more about St Michael's Hospice - and Mad Hair Day - go to www.stmichaelshospice.org.uk

St Michael's Hospice fundraiser Melanie Neale said: "This is an absolutely amazing prize offered by Wella, so enter the competition to support a fantastic cause."

Competition entrants should e-mail answers to melanie.neale@stmichaelshospice.org.uk

The focal point of Mad Hair Day takes place at Porchester Square in the brand new Festival Place shopping and leisure complex, where everyone is being encouraged to use their imagination and wear some fantastic hair-dos.

There will be prizes up for grabs for the best looks. Judging for over 18s will be between noon and 2pm, while those aged up to nine and from 10 to 17 will be judged between 3pm and 5pm.

Prizes for all categories will be presented on stage at 6pm.