An 85-year-old Abingdon car park attendant is donning an array of fancy dress outfits at work this month to raise money for Children in Need.

Ernie Edwards mans the ticket booth at Coxeter House Car Park off Straton Way and is alternating a range of costumes every day in the run up to the main televised event for Children in Need this year.

This is Mr Edwards’ fifth year of wearing fancy dress to raise money for the charity. Each year, he has successfully set himself the goal of beating his previous total. He raised £,1,105 last year and is determined to smash this target for 2023.

Mr Edwards said: “I started on the first of this month and had raised nearly £500 by Friday (November 3). I’ve got a fundraising bucket and a sign outside the booth for people walking past or using the car park to put money into if they wish. People always stop and talk to me and take pictures. It’s great fun.”

This week, Mr Edwards has enjoyed wearing a hippy-style outfit, which has fared to great popularity and has also worn a leprechaun and a jester outfit.

He added: “I love doing it – it’s for such a great cause. When I worked in a shop, on the day of Children in Need we’d all dress up and customers always donated. That’s what gave me the idea; I wanted to carry on doing it. It feels fantastic to beat last year’s amount every year.”