The charity Comic Relief was founded in 1985 by screenwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry. It was set up in response to the famine in Ethiopia. Over the decades it has evolved and now raises money annually for vulnerable and disadvantaged people across the globe.
Red Nose Day is the fundraising event created to raise money for Comic Relief, the first one was held over 30 years ago, in 1988. Lenny Henry marked the very first Red Nose Day telethon by travelling to Ethiopia to meet the people affected by the famine and those that were there offering help.
Over 150 celebrities and comedians took part in that first telethon, which raised £15 million, it was watched by over 30 million television viewers.
This year Red Nose Day was held on March 18th and as usual we got involved. We enjoy being able to help others and this year is especially poignant as they were raising money to help the people of Ukraine. It is difficult to sit back and watch the atrocities that are taking place in that country, many of us can empathise, having experienced living in a country at war, the suffering endured is unthinkable and it is frustrating and incomprehensible that Europe should find itself in this position in the 21st century.
We wanted to do all that we could to help, the team dressed for the occasion and provided us with some fundraising activities to enjoy. We made and sold cakes and asked our families and friends to donate. We had a wonderful day, we did all that we could, and hopefully in our own small way we will have made a difference somewhere, to someone in need.