Kevin McEneaney’s face may have been red but other bits of his body were almost blue as he shivered in a bath to raise money for Comic Relief today.

Mr McEneaney began a 24-hour extended dip in a bath outside the Black Horse pub, in Banbury Road, Kidlington, to encourage customers to toss coins in for the charity.

The 30-year-old said he was on target to raise £1,000 and added: “It was freezing cold, as it wasn’t the warmest day.

“Thankfully it was worth it, as there was lots of gold on the bottom of the bath.”

He was just one of thousands of people doing weird and wacky things on Red Nose Day.

The vice-principal of Ripon College Cuddesdon, Professor Mark Chapman, shaved his 22-year-old beard off after staff and students at the theological college raised £1,000.

Mr Chapman, who also donned a red nose, was cheered on by 50 students and he said: “It was a complete shock.

“My son Edmond said beforehand he was worried about what I was going to look like.

“I’m now going to need lots of moisturiser, as it has been that long since I have revealed my skin.”

Comic Relief’s “Do Something Funny For Money” motto was followed at the Oxfam charity shop in London Road, Headington.

Volunteers Michael Gerrow, Liz Owen, Barbara Jenkins, Jan Purrett and Jane Coutanche all dressed up as clowns before throwing custard pies at each other.

Shop manager Nina Curtis, who also dressed up, said: “Lots of people have been going by and getting involved. We have pledged to raise at least £400.”

And it wasn’t just the adults painting the town red.

Staff and pupils at Kings Meadow School, in Shakespeare Drive, Bicester dressed up as the Blues Brothers to perform Shake Your Tail Feather to raise £500.

Year Six teacher Vicky Millington said: “We had been watching Comic Relief’s Let’s Dance and saw Dick and Dom perform Shake Your Tail Feather and we decided to do the same.

"Everyone had fun, particularly the teachers, who got to act like children for the day.”

Silly clothing, red noses and wigs were worn by youngsters and staff at the Old Station Nursery, in Benson. The school pledged to raise a minimum of £70.

Children at Stepping Stones pre-school, in New Yatt Road, Witney, donated £1 each to wear pyjamas for the day.

In Abingdon, students at St Nicholas Primary School created a joke book which they sold to rasie money for the appeal.

More than 120 volunteers manned 65 phonelines at the Phone Room call centre, in Osney Mead, taking donations from viewers while a Comic Relief special show was televised on BBC 1 tonight.