Richard Garfield and Elizabeth Roberts report on how local people did their bit for this year's Children in Need.

WHEN it's November and people are dressing up in costumes, having their hair shaved off and getting up to other weird and wacky things, it can only mean one thing - it's Children in Need time.

People around the borough helped pull in the pounds for this year's appeal which has, so far, pulled in nearly £13 million nationally, with £821,971 being raised in the South.

It was back to the shop floor for David Cardno, communications centre manager at Sun Life Financial of Canada in Basingstoke.

He was relegated to making the tea and photocopying as he became a slave for the day following an auction for his services.

Before starting his new duties, he said: "Doing something for Children in Need is especially rewarding because it is such a good cause."

Members of the Boyle O'Dowda Irish Dancing Academy kept in line as they danced the night away at the Irish Centre in Council Road.

The academy's Anna O'Shea said the idea of holding a fundraising dancethon came from the younger members of the academy.

Anna said: "They just wanted to do something for other children who are not as fortunate as themselves."

The dancers ended on a high with their own rendition of Lord of the Dance.

Fundraising footie was played between pharmaceutical staff at Eli Lilly and their service contractors Amec Facilities.

Amec put together a team for the day called Amec Allsorts and to confuse the Eli Lilly team they all wore number seven on their shirts.

Basingstoke businessman Steve West was really bowled over with his 12-hour sponsored bowl. Customers at Basingstoke's Bowlplex paid £3 a go to try and beat Steve's scores.

It was at least a less painful way of pulling in the pounds for the father-of-three from Oakridge who last year raised £1,096 when he had his whole body waxed for Children in Need.

It was back to school for staff at the Barley Mow pub in Oakley as they dressed up to help highlight the Children in Need appeal.

Landlady Sylvia Phillips said her customers raised some money for the appeal last year but this year she wanted to do even better.

She said: "I thought we would try harder this year, make it more fun and draw people's attention to the appeal by dressing up."

Over at Barclays Asset Finance in Basingstoke, the company raised £3,000 for this year's appeal.

Virginia Routledge and Paul Kelly were two brave members of staff who felt a little light-headed after professionals from Box Hairdressing got rid of their locks for a sponsored head shave.

The firm also held a Pudsey Bear raffle and a fancy dress competition among other activities.

David Doyle, of Made to Measure Golf Shop at New Greenham Park, Greenham, let customers use his golf simulator at a reduced charge in the week leading up to Children in Need day. He raised a total of £342.45.

Children from Tiny Town Kindergarten in Tadley took part in a sponsored cake bake to help the cause. The youngsters presented the results of their efforts to patients and nurses at Basingstoke hospital and also raised a total of £108.

Fundraising firefighters stationed themselves at traffic lights in Franklin Avenue, Tadley, to pull in the pounds for Children in Need. The fire crew were joined in collecting money from drivers by firefighters from AWE at Aldermaston.

Mandy Bourne was a fundraising swimming champion after completing 100 lengths of the pool at the Beechdown Health and Fitness Club in Basingstoke.

Who knows, one day she might follow her father, Andy Bourne, and swim for Great Britain.

The health club set aside a swimming lane of its 15-metre long pool so that Mandy could raise money for Children in Need uninterrupted.

Mandy, who comes from Chineham and is a member of Basingstoke Swimming Club, said: "I wanted to do something to help children less fortunate than myself."

She hopes to have raised £100 from family and friends who sponsored her.

Two runners at the Reflections Gym at the Hampshire CentreCourt Hotel showed they had plenty of energy as they ran 100 miles in 24 gruelling hours.

Company sales director Derek Jackman, 38, and IT consultant Steve Mullan, 29, were the men who piled on the miles in the marathon effort.

Finally, a Sony microchip designer had his hair, beard and eyebrows shaved off at Carey's Hairdressers, in Church Street, Basingstoke.

Timothy Pagden, 40, was sponsored by his colleagues to undergo the hair-raising feat for Children in Need and raised £234.