KIND-HEARTED Fylde folk caught Red Nose fever at the weekend, taking part in dozens of crazy capers to raise money for the wacky fund-raising effort.

Everything from giant Y-fronts to a poetic cockerel up the Tower boosted Blackpool's contribution to the mammoth £25 million raised throughout the country over the weekend.

Probably the tallest story of the day was that of Phil Griffiths, a 23-year-old from Queensferry, North Wales.

Dressed in a bright yellow cockerel suit, the plucky poet recited the Canterbury Tales through a megaphone -- at the top of Blackpool Tower, 420ft above the promenade.

Phil's sponsored stunt is expected to raise £800. He said: "I do something daft every year. One year I cut my front lawn with a pair of nail scissors. I have got a reputation for doing things that are daft!" he said.

The biggest pair of underpants in the land was also to be found in Blackpool, draped across the Heaven and Hell nightclub building on the Promenade. The mammoth 35ft x 15ft pants accompanied a Red Nose charity night.

Pat Holden, entertainments manager of Heaven and Hell, said: "It went really well. On the door we collected £400 in donations.

"What we are doing now is auctioning the underpants. We have to have verification from the Guinness Book of Records that they are the world's largest pants and then we will auction them."

He hopes to have bids from larger comics such as Bernard Manning and Dawn French, and the money will go to Comic Relief.

In another comic caper, Lytham's local bobby and traffic warden gave their undies an airing in the town's Clifton Square.

PC Ben Rowe and traffic warden Steve Howarth amazed lunchtime shoppers by appearing in JW Stringer's department store window, wearing full uniform and bright white underpants over the top!

Steve said: "We were asked by Stringers if we would help out, so we said why not? We danced in the shop window of Stringers with the staff, which was a bit embarrassing because I can't dance. But it was a good laugh."

Ben agreed: "I would certainly do it again." The two also helped with shop to shop collection, raising hundreds of pounds towards the appeal.

The final national Red Nose total is expected in May.

SOMETHING to crow about: Crazy cockerel Phil Griffiths gets fund-raising (pic by Glen Gater)