RAISING money for charity can be hard work... which is why staff from an Oxford pub have decided to sit down to bring in the pennies.

Bar staff at the Britannia Inn, in London Road, Headington, plan to hold a 48-hour sponsored 'sofa sit' over the Easter weekend to raise money for Against Breast Cancer.

And rather than sitting in the warmth of the pub, staff will be taking the sofa into the road outside in a bid to collect cash from passers-by.

Manager Sam Kerry, one of those behind the idea, said: "Our brewery - Mitchells and Butler - has a Drink Pink campaign in March every year.

"We donate 5p from every glass of rosé wine that we sell in the pub to the charity.

"This year, we decided to make March a charity month to try to raise even more money for Against Breast Cancer, and the staff had a brainstorm to come up with ideas. I thought the sponsored sit would be a good idea - I've never heard of anyone doing it before - and everyone here is really excited about it and everyone is up for getting involved."

Miss Kerry said at least two people would have to stay seated on the sofa at all times, with people only being allowed to get up to go to the toilet or to get a drink.

She said: "I've done a 24-hour sponsored silence before, so at least I'll be able to talk for this.

"Hopefully, by doing it outside, we will be able to raise a bit more awareness and we will be collecting money from people in Headington.

"We are aiming to raise about £500 but if we could raise more that would be fantastic."

As well as the sponsored sit-down the pub also plans to hold a Design a Bra competition, charging customer £3 per entry, with the winning design chosen at the end of the month.

Against Breast Cancer is a charitable organisation, based in Oxford, which funds breast cancer research for long-term survival.

Patricia Leathem, chief executive officer of the charity, said: "I want to congratulate the Britannia Inn for coming up with such a quirky idea as a 48-hour sponsored sit-down.

"I've heard of people jumping out of planes and running marathons, but I've never heard of anything like this, and I hope they raise lots of money to fund the unique research we do."