Thousands of readers of The News, Portsmouth, went blue for the day as the south coast paper held a celebration of Pompey reaching the FA Cup semi-final.

Blue Day today – the eve of Pompey’s Wembley clash – saw readers dressing up in blue and paint their faces as a show of support for the players.

Those who took part were then invited to donate as much as they could towards the Tom Prince Cancer Trust, a local charity set up in memory of a 15-year-old Pompey fan who died of bone cancer.

Everyone from hairdressers to nurses, firefighters to police officers, took part in the day, while one local radio station also supported the event by playing blue-related songs all day.

Teams of reporters and non-editorial staff were sent out on the day with buckets to collect cash from shoppers and passers-by.

They also visited some of the hundreds of people, businesses and community groups who had signed up to the Blue Day campaign, which was only launched two weeks ago.

Mark Waldron, editor of The News, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm people have shown and it has created a feel-good factor in the city.

“The Tom Prince Cancer Trust needs no explanation for Portsmouth fans because Tom was such an inspirational character, and we hope that we will have raised thousands of pounds for the charity.”