TOMORROW is Comic Relief's Red Nose day and the Internet has the chance to bring you some laughter while changing the lives of people around the world.

The official Comic Relief website provides plenty of fund-raising inspiration and gives readers lots of ways to say "pants to poverty", the theme of this year's appeal.

Whether you are sitting in custard, cutting all your hair off or designing underwear, then www.comicrelief.co.uk should be your first port of call. The site also provides links to other Comic Relief events, such as the Southeby's preview for the Robbie Williams sale and specially-written Harry Potter books.

The official website also has some useful background information about the event which was launched in 1985 and has since raised £174m.

One of the most entertaining highlights from this year's event has to be the Celebrity Big Brother where the likes of Anthea Turner and Jack Dee have been locked in the house which spawned the web-cam-on-the-wall docu-drama hit of the same name.

And the Big Brother house is still online at www.comicrelief.co.uk/bigbrother.

The celebrity contributions to the fund-raising continue with an online auction of pants at the Internet auctions house www.fsauctions.co.uk.

Carol Smillie's pants have already received bids of more than £150 while the cheapest were Ghost's at £16.

Latest news and events from Comic Relief in the region, plus the opportunity to send in a joke and get The Northern Echo to pay cash, is available online at our own Red Nose site, www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/rednose.

Published: Thursday, March 15, 2001