RED hair, leg waxing and a charity hitch-hike to Shepherd's Bush TV studios were part of the Comic Relief drive in Darlington.

Lesley Mattimo, a security guard at the Cornmill Centre, and her colleague Lesley Tutty, embarked on a mammoth hitch hike to London on Friday.

The pair set out at 10am without any cash and got to London and back in 24 hours.

Staff at the Crown Street Library in Darlington let acting lending librarian Margaret Wood loose on their hair with ribbons, red nose badges and red hair dye.

Fifty children and staff at the Kids and Co nursery paid to dress in red for the day.

Mark Baldwin, a Darlington Borough Council benefit assessor, had his head shaved at Toni and Guy. Male council staff dressed as women for a five-a-side football match.

Richard Llewellyn and Richard Bryan, of mortgage company Amity in Darlington, had their legs waxed in Binns hair salon and raised more than £150.

The Northern Echo raised £535 after two advertising workers had their legs waxed and staff paid to watch.

Staff at Orange in Darlington tested their three-legged racing skills, egg and spoon technique and sack racing to see who could raise the most money.

There were also big hair styles and managers were gunged.

For the first time Orange call centres in North Tyneside and Peterlee took calls from the public wanting to make donations.

North-East volunteers worked between 6pm and 2am and took 10,126 calls.

Three Hurworth School teachers and a Year 11 pupil allowed Year 10 pupils to wax their legs.

An Eastbourne School's footballer had his legs waxed by acting head Karen Pemberton.