A BED push along the seafront, line dancing in the supermarket aisles and male body waxing were some of the wacky ways local people set about raising thousands of pounds for Children in Need in 1999.

There were plenty of have-a-go shoppers at the Tower Park Tesco store as staff member Edna Burden led a two-hour-line-dancing session and invited spectators to throw donations into a collection bucket, raising £310 by the end of the morning.

There was a similar appeal for customers to show generosity at ASDA in Bournemouth where workers where encouraged to wear fancy dress for the day and put £1 towards the charity. Customers also contributed to the expected total of between £700-£800.

“We’ve had a Charlie Chaplin, an alien, St Trinian’s Schoolgirls and an ugly sister,” said Sharon Wells, then-Asda spokeswoman.