In pictures: How Cambridge punt companies raised money - and a smile - for Jimmy’s

If punting customers were confused to be chauffeured down the river by a lost astronaut or a man dressed as an apple, it was all in a good cause.

Fancy Dress on the River day earlier this month saw punting company employees in a wild array of outfits to raise money for Cambridge homelessness charity Jimmy’s.

It was the brainchild of Kieran O’Brien, general manager of Cambridge Punt Company. He said: “I thought it would be a good cause for us to give back to the city we work in. We’re a big industry and I think we can do more charity work as a whole.

“I chose Jimmy’s because it was a local charity. We work on the street every day. We see the homeless walk past us every day. So it’s something that we see closely. I thought we might as well try and make a change and help someone by earning a little bit of money for them through charity work.

“There were a few interesting costumes for punting. My son was in a full suit and a graduation gown, and that looked like hard work, because it was actually quite a warm day.

“One of the guys dressed up as an apple for Newton’s apple tree, which was quite funny. I also saw an evil monk, a policeman, a convict and an astronaut.”

The companies taking part were Cambridge Punt Company, Cambridge Punters, Let’s Go Punting, Traditional Punting, Scholars and Rutherford’s.

The day raised about £1,300 for Jimmy’s.