It's not every day you see your postman dressed as a chicken, banana or a jester, but that is exactly what is happening in a Norfolk town for a charitable cause at the moment.

The posties at Fakenham's Delivery Office have decided to wear fancy dress during their rounds to raise funds for Littlelifts, a charity supporting women with breast cancer.

Having started the initiative last Monday, the 'Posties of Fakenham' group have been making people smile with an array of costumes including Scooby-Doo, a jester, Fred Flintstone, a 118 costume, astronaut, Buzz Lightyear and a banana to name a few.

The team, which is made up of 16 people, even donned their wives' clothes when out and about for 'Cross Dress Friday'.

Dereham-based fancy dress shop, Arnie’s Attic, have loaned most of the costumes to the posties for the fundraising cause.

A spokesman for 'Posties of Fakenham' said: "We've had a lot of fun and it's been really good with the kids being off for weeks and missing their friends. We had been talking about the idea for a while, and one of my colleagues said his wife was off having chemotherapy at the moment. Someone suggested supporting the charity which has helped her, and we have been doing it with her in mind.

"We wanted to give her the choice of which charity to raise for, so she knows that we are thinking of her, and Littlelifts was her number one choice, having received one of their brilliant boxes by her oncologist recently.”

The team has already received a fantastic response through its Facebook page ‘Posties of Fakenham’, and residents can keep their eyes peeled over the coming days for Posties dressed up during their mail deliveries across Fakenham, Raynham, Great Ryburgh, Little Snoring and Sculthorpe.

The spokesman added: "We have had quite a response from the public as clearly you do not expect to see not only Scooby-Doo delivering your post, but also your postie turning up in a full dress!

"I was dressed as a chicken last Thursday and when I got out of the van people just laugh at you, probably not knowing what was going on. People are now slowly catching on and I have been inclined to almost ignore people as if it is normal. You literally get the second glance which can be very amusing.

"I can see people looking in the rear-view mirror thinking 'was that a chicken that has just driven off?' It has given us quite a boost as well.

"We have had such a good response, it's been brilliant and everybody seems to have turned to it as it's cheering people up."

Although the group has not got a timescale for the initiative, the spokesman thinks it could run until mid-July depending on government guidelines and when the children are fully returned to school.

Littlelifts offer boxes to women at the beginning of their chemotherapy treatment by working directly with hospitals in Norfolk and Suffolk.

The boxes include items the women will appreciate during their treatment such as a water bottle, herbal tea, heat pack, eye mask, chocolate, lip balm, a 'grow your own plant' kit, toothpaste and a tooth brush, crosswords and puzzles, chewing gum, cordial and a notepad.

Founder of littlelifts, Oa Hackett, said: “We are extremely grateful to the Posties of Fakenham for their incredible spirit and efforts. We really appreciate their generous support during these tricky times, and would also like to thank everyone who has donated.

"Those undergoing treatment for breast cancer are more vulnerable at the moment, and with charities across the nation struggling to meet their targets, we’re eternally grateful for all the help we receive.

"We’ve also really enjoyed witnessing the joy these kind-hearted Posties are bringing to the local community in the process.”

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The Posties of Fakenham have been raising funds for the littlelifts charity by delivering mail in fancy dress (35369920)

The charity was founded in 2014 after Oa was diagnosed with primary breast cancer, before undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

A statement on the charity's website says: "It was a scary time, with lots of uncertainty and an overwhelming sense of the unknown.

"Leading up to and during her treatment, Oa was fortunate to have a support network of friends and family to help her along the way – lifting those down days with a few little treats to relieve some of the side effects she experienced – and so the concept of the littlelifts box was born."

To find out more about the work of littlelifts visit www.littlelifts.org.uk and for more about the Posties of Fakenham go to https://littlelifts.charitycheckout.co.uk/pf/postiesoffakenham-1c137

People can also follow the Posties of Fakenham’s adventures at https://www.facebook.com/pg/PostiesOfFakenham where donations can also be sent.