THERE was no need for pupils and staff at Wootey junior or infant schools in Alton to comb their hair recently – in fact it was a case of the messier the better!

The occasion, on February 8, was ‘Mad Hair Day’ in aid of St Michael’s Hospice in Basingstoke.

At lot of imagination and preparation went into the wacky hair designs that came through the school gates, including one girl who managed to arrange her tresses around a bottle and another who filled hers with pencils and books.

Not to be outdone, junior school head Tim O’Brien arrived with “wolf hair” and another member of staff with a head full of clips.

A school spokesman said: “It was great fun but the object was to raise money for the hospice as several of our staff and our parents have had loved ones cared for there.”

With pupils each donating £1 to come in with mad hair, the junior school raised more than £100.

“Absolutely loved it” was how a spokesman for the infant school described their Mad Hair Day.

“It was something different to enjoy. We had one girl who had a cone of hair and another with what looked like pipe cleaners zig-zagging across her head. We also had a lot of colour as pupils had sprayed their hair in rainbow shades.”

Infant school headteacher Ella Palmer set the standard for the staff by arriving with shocking pink hair and another turned up with a mohican. Like the juniors, the infants raised more than £100 for the hospice.