THE launch of the region’s Sport Relief fundraising effort for 2014 raised more than £1,000 at Goldsands Stadium in Bournemouth last Saturday.

The event, organised by Sainsbury’s, embraced the 1980s theme chosen for this year’s charity appeal in a dazzling display of retro colours and some eccentric looking costumes.

The supermarket deployed volunteering staff members dressed in headbands and other stereotypical 80s attire to grab the attention of fans as they flooded into the stadium to watch the Cherries take on Doncaster.

The most eye-catching fancy dress came in the form of a group of men modelling a giant Rubik’s cube outfit as a tribute to the classic puzzle. Sainsbury’s PR ambassador Adrian Wheal said he was delighted to receive such a warm welcome and to raise so much money on the first day of the campaign.

He added: “This event shows our commitment to Sport Relief and has now kick-started a number of fundraising events across Bournemouth and Poole.”

At half-time, in a game where the Cherries thumped their opponents 5-0, the novelty-sized Rubik’s cube did a lap of the pitch with club mascot Cherry Bear to spread the message that the fundraising efforts had begun.

The Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games take place from March 21 to March 23 and the public have been invited to join in by running, swimming or cycling to raise cash for good causes at more than 1,000 venues across the country.

Amongst the events in Dorset will be a Sport Relief one-mile run at the Littledown Centre on Sunday, March 23, and a number of other events have also been scheduled in each of Sainsbury’s stores in the area throughout the year.