South West insurance firm Cornish Mutual is asking school children in Truro for their favourite joke to celebrate the city being selected to host the region’s call centre for Red Nose Day 2017.

On Friday, March 24, Comic Relief will be taking over screens across the nation asking people to "make your laugh matter." The Cornish Mutual call centre in Truro will, for the second time, represent the South West on the big night, providing a focal point for the region’s fundraising efforts as well as handling donation calls from across the country. More than 100 volunteers from the company and other local businesses will be manning the phone-lines, and putting the fun into fundraising.

To mark the occasion, the best joke competition encourages Truro schoolchildren between the ages of six and eight and nine and 12 to get involved and enter their best gags through their schools. Four finalists from each Truro primary will then be invited to the Cornish Mutual offices on the morning of March 24, where they may even get to read out their jokes on local radio.

This year the insurer is also hosting a MOO’vathon on March 20 on Truro’s Lemon Quay, where staff members will be taking part in an exhausting five hour Zumba fitness class. Along with the Zumba challenge, the team are hosting a quiz night, a 12 hour bowlathan at Truro Bowl and conducting a bucket collection at the Tesco store in Truro on March 16.

Alan Goddard, managing director for Cornish Mutual, said: “We are very proud to once again be the South West call centre for Red Nose Day, and we are really entering into the spirit of things. In addition to the call centre, our whole office will be buzzing over the next few weeks, and on the night, with plenty of fundraising, fun activities, entertainment and refreshments to help keep the team going.”