Red noses banned in school
COMIC Relief boss Samir Patel has vowed to “reduce” age restrictions on its new red nose – after primary schools banned its sale to pupils.
This year the iconic nose worn for the charity fundraiser next Friday was given its “most dramatic makeover” in 35 years by Sir Jony Ive.
Sir Jony, who helped develop the ipod, iphone and Macbook for Apple, described his creation for Red Nose Day 2023 as a “fabulously complex little object”.
But some parents and school staff were dismayed by its design – as the small detachable parts used in its fastener mean it is not suitable for children under seven.
The noses, advertised by stars including Judi Dench, are being sold through the Comic Relief shop page for £2.50 – with a warning saying some its parts present a potential choking hazard. As a result, some primary schools have banned its sale to all its pupils, to limit the risk of one being given to a small child.
A father with two children at a primary school in Sussex, who did not want to be named, said: “My children look forward to buying their red noses every year and were really disappointed when this one was banned.
“If this is happening at primary schools across the country, then Comic Relief must be losing out on a lot of money.”
In response Mr Patel, CEO of Comic Relief, said the charity is already working on dropping the age restriction for next year so the red nose can be sold at primary schools, as it has been in previous years.
He said: “We truly appreciate all of the amazing support we have had for our red noses from schools, parents and pupils over the years. As this is the first year we are manufacturing this newly designed red nose, which is like no other we’ve ever created, we had to add an age restriction due to the small parts in the fastening.
“We hugely value all the feedback we receive and have already started looking at how we can reduce the age restriction next year.”
He added: “We’ve partnered with Twinki to create lots of fun and free resources for families and schools.”
Money raised this year will go towards tackling poor mental health, homelessness and food poverty.