Fri, Mar 16th

Today was Red Nose Day 2007. Here in the UK, Comic Relief was launched back in 1985 to raise both awareness of the plight of the suffering in Africa, and the less fortunate here at home. Today it is now an institution where Red Nose Day is celebrated with a seven hour telethon on commercial free BBC television.

At offices and places all over the country, workers do what they can to raise donations. Where I work, it was a dress-down day where your clothing MUST include the colour red. Donations were also collected. I wore a shirt we embroidered with the Braves logo, and donated £10. We collected around £130, and the bosses rounded the donation up to £200.

Then, after watching the scenes broadcast on TV tonight that showed how just £2.50 ($4) could save a child's life by buying a net to prevent malaria, we felt compelled to donate more. Scenes showing towns that had no running water and waste sewage being tipped into streams and rivers where kids played were just too much to bear. Sometimes we take for granted just how fortunate we are to have been born in a developed country. We made another donation online, which thanks to tax relief will be increased by 28p on the pound.