Yo, ho, ho and a bagful of small change. Customers at North Walsham's Barclays Bank were greeted by a motley crew of pirates when they dropped in to deposit and withdraw their doubloons today.
Swarthy and rogue-ish lads and lasses, armed with cutlasses and sporting eye patches, swarmed the Market Place building where Jolly Roger flags fluttered defiantly and a stuffed parrot perched next to a treasure chest behind the cashiers.
Bank staff had decided to dress in pirate gear to help raise money for their chosen 2012 charity Nelson's Journey which supports bereaved children in Norfolk.
'The staff came up with the idea because of the sea link between Nelson's Journey and Lord Nelson, who was at Paston School in North Walsham,' said Barclays' operations specialist Melanie Bridge.
North Walsham is one of 26 Barclays branches in Norfolk which are jointly aiming to raise �15,000 this year for Nelson's Journey.
Customers were invited to make donations and to buy skull and crossbones cookies made by the mum of pirate cashier Chris Balding.
Branch manager David Spanton said Barclays Bank matched pound for pound staff fund-raising for good causes. Last year the combined branches had managed to raise �15,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
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