THOUSANDS of people across Huddersfield turned the town red for Comic Relief yesterday.

They wore red clothes, red noses, took part in sponsored events and got soaked with baked beans - all in the name of charity. And their efforts led to thousands of pounds being raised.

* Rugby league star Keith Senior went back to school to raise cash for the 10th Red Nose Day - and got in a fight! Centre Keith, who plays for Leeds Rhinos and Great Britain, has two children, Rees, 10, and Summer, eight, at Reinwood Junior School, Oakes. He took part in a sponsored wrestling match with one of the teachers.

* Eleven-year-old Connor Price, who raised £100 for Comic Relief two years ago, sat in a bath and allowed people to pour cold baked beans, custard and pasta over him to raise money. Connor, of Lower Denby, goes to Scissett Middle School, but did the stunt at Upper Denby First School, where he used to be a pupil. His mum, Dawn, said: "Connor heard £100 can buy people a home in some parts of Africa and that inspired him."

* Staff at the Skipton Building Society in Huddersfield wore pyjamas and red noses to collect cash in buckets

* Children at Cowlersley Primary School dressed in red and yellow and sang the McFly song All About You in a Comic Relief assembly.

* A sponsored obstacle race at the Playmates playgroup in Deighton raised cash. The playgroup is part of Christ Church Woodhouse C of E Nursery Infant and Junior School.

* Staff at the Asda store on Bradford Road, Huddersfield, wore red noses, red hair and jeans as they held tombolas, raffles and check-out bingo.

* Children at Cornfields Day Nursery in Slaithwaite paid to dress in red. The 35 children at the Bridge Street nursery also had fun with red Play-Doh and made ``red nose" buns.

* The ``big hair and beyond" theme of this year's Red Nose Day was taken seriously at Wilberlee Junior and Infant School, Slaithwaite. The school's 83 pupils - and staff - joined in the fun with wacky wigs and unusual hairstyles. Each child gave £1 to Comic Relief. Buns were also on sale.

* Children at Mountjoy House Kindergarten and Preparatory School in Edgerton raised money by sporting wacky hair. All 55 pupils took part.

* Sarah-Jane Booth, 29, from Bradley Mills, was sponsored to have her hair shaved off at Roger David's salon on Byram Street, Huddersfield. She raised more than £200.

* The Mulberry Bush playgroup, based at Almondbury High School, held a Mad Hatter's Tea Party. The children decorated hats and sang during the party. They also sold home-made cakes and buns, raising about £100.

* A family did a five-kilometre run and raised enough to feed more than 4,000 African children. Diane Baxter, 40, husband Paul, 43, and children Beth, 12, and Hannah, 13, sweated it out on the treadmill at Total Fitness, Wakefield Road, Waterloo. Eleven other runners joined them and in total have raised more than £1,000 for Comic Relief.

Diane said: "This should feed thousands of children. A big thank you has to go to everyone involved, especially personal trainer Darren Bristow."

* Staff at the Examiner tucked into bacon butties and buns to raise cash. Staff, dressed in red, cooked butties, with donations from Batleys Cash and Carry and British Bacon.

* Staff who wore red wigs, noses and T-shirts at the coffee shop in Thatchers Furnishings, Huddersfield, raised about £100. They held cake and bun stalls, took part in a Red Nose Sweep and gave half the coffee proceeds to boost the charity's funds.

* Katie Hemphill, 17, a student at Greenhead College, Huddersfield, handcuffed herself to three friends to raise about £200. She was sponsored by fellow students as well as family and friends to ``cuff" up for 48 hours.

Also taking part were Tim Heeley, 20, Keighley Maxwell, 16, and Kelly Hemingway, 16.

* Pupils at Nields Junior, Infant and Nursery School, Slaithwaite, held a talent contest. More than 60 acts from rock bands to stand-up comics took part and raised more than £500.

* Children and staff at the Dryclough Children's Centre enjoyed a Red Nose Fun Day at their Crosland Moor base.

* Staff at Holset Turbochargers, Huddersfield, paid £1 to vote for their favourite manager. The top six took part in a competition which saw the losers splattered with beans. Overall Holset raised more than £1,500.

* Comic Relief was launched from the Safawa refugee camp in Sudan on Christmas Day, 1985, and broadcast live on BBC1 - but the first Red Nose Day did not take place until 1988.

* Its roots were in the alternative comedy scene and the aim was to put the fun into fundraising.

* On the first Red Nose Day 20m people took part and raised nearly £16m.

* Film producer Richard Curtis and comedians Rik Mayall, Ben Elton, Lenny Henry (pictured), Stephen Fry, Dawn French, Rowan Atkinson and Billy Connolly were among the celebrities taking part in the early years.

* Since its inception in 1985, Comic Relief has raised over £337m for 6,000 charity projects at home and in Africa.