PEOPLE across Oxfordshire enjoyed a day of colour and fun as they helped to raised thousands of pounds for Children in Need yesterday.

Schools, businesses and even the emergency services donned fancy dress, baked cakes and teamed up with Pudsey to help disabled children and young people in the UK.

Youngsters at the Spires Academy in Oxford got into the spirit with a cake sale to raise cash as did Stockham school in Wantage.

Elsewhere, Bicester Fire Station teamed up with Childfirst Nursery and Southwold Primary School to fundraise with firefighters giving Pudsey the bear a lift to the schools in their fire engine.

Pete Mackay, crew manager at Bicester Fire Station said: “We’re hoping we’ve raised about £5,000 but in some previous years we’ve raised as much as £10,000.”

Last year a total of £55m was raised nationwide, with projects in Oxfordshire receiving more than £600,000 worth of donations.

This year’s total is still being counted, but children at Witney Community Primary School did their bit by raising £553.

Each child paid a pound to take part have the colourful spots on their clothes, faces and in their hair, with Pudsey making an appearance to choose nine-year-old Harvey Ridgway as the winner of the spottiest boy competition.

Headteacher Jill Meyer said: “It was amazing and I’m very pleased with the amount we raised.

“The pupils loved Pudsey. There was a lot of cuddling.”

Meanwhile, more than 50 children gathered at Chinnor Village Hall on Thursday for a teddy bear picnic organised by babies and toddlers music group, Musical Mayhem.

The youngsters brought along their toys and sang songs about bears with a cake sale after raising money for the cause.

St Mary’s School in Chipping Norton helped to raise money by holding a cake sale and a dress-up in yellow or spots day.

Teaching assistant Lisa Drinkwater said: “Our school council were in charge of fundraising for Children in Need.

“It was the children who decided we should hold a cake sale with cakes decorated with spots on Thursday which raised £103.”

The Oxford Mail also got involved with the sales team dressing up for the day.

Shane Harding, Head of Advertising, said: “We’ve all come in dressed-up and for everything we sell today we give a donation.

“This is the third year we’ve done it, and thanks to our customers, once again it’s been a big success.”

Oxfordshire based Dogs for Good, Home-start Banbury and Chipping Norton, and end-of-life children’s care hospice Helen & Douglas House have all previously received funding from the annual appeal.

Helen & Douglas House spokeswoman Lin Crowley said: “Without funding we simply would not be here for them at the most difficult of times.

"We sincerely thank Children in Need for their valued support.”