Newsrooms across the country downed pad and pen in exchange for red noses and silliness as part of this year’s efforts for Comic Relief.

Bake sales, fancy dress and bikeathons were among the countless fundraising ideas dreamed up by regional newspaper staff, raking in hundreds of pounds for the cause.

Staff from the news, advertising and promotions departments of Bristol News & Media, which publishes daily paper The Post, joined forces to sing Blondie classic One Way or Another. The song has been covered by X Factor boyband One Direction to become this year’s official song for Comic Relief.

A spokesman from BNM said: “Everyone really got into the spirit of the day and thoroughly enjoyed the song. We are delighted to be able to support such a great cause.”

The team were coached by Cardiff-based Andrea Callanan of Sing and Inspire who gave her time for free to aid the cause.

After 40 minutes of being taught the various harmonies and words, the group launched into a version for the camera.

Meanwhile, a team from the Staffordshire Newsletter also got involved, setting up exercise bikes in the Guildhall Shopping Centre in Stafford and peddling for donations.

They were loaned an eye-catching set of Minnie Mouse costumes by the Play and Party store, Virgin Active provide them with the two bikes and staff from the Stafford and Stone Sports Partnership lent a hand to help shake some buckets as they worked to reach their target of £200.

The team from the Staffordshire Newsletter, who peddled their way to their target of £200

Sales teams got in on the act as well, with staff from Herald & Post in Northampton donning their waterproofs and rafting down the River Nene to raise money – and smashed their £300 target, raising more than £500.

And staff from the Tunbridge Wells sales support team, which covers the Kent & Sussex Courier, Sevenoaks Chronicle, and Canterbury Times among others, baked an array of goodies to sell off and wore onesies to work to raise more than £130.