Complete with rosy red noses, comedy props and jokes, clowns from all over the world have descended on Lowestoft for a week of fun and laughter.

The Clown Gathering UK is back in the town for the fourth year, organised by Lowestoft's very own Andrew Davis, more commonly known as Andy the Clown.

The gathering, which got under way today with a service of thanksgiving, make-up tips and plenty of photographs, will see around 40 clowns take part in a series of workshops and lectures throughout the week before staging two nights of Comedy, Anarchy and Mayhem at Pakefield's Seagull Theatre.

Highlights of the week will include laughter yogasize, a pie in your face session and experimenting with bubbles.

Andy, who has been working as a clown for 22 years, started organising the event as a way for clowns to network, learn new tricks and perform.

He said: 'As a clown I love making people happy, so if everyone here tells me at the end of the week that they have enjoyed themselves then I will be happy.'

The event has seen clowns travel from all over the world including Denmark, Canada and Arizona, with plenty of faces from the UK too.

Deanna Hartmier, under the name Dee Dee the Clown, is enjoying her first trip to Lowestoft. She met Andy through the World Clown Association, which she is a past president of, and travelled all the way from Winnipeg, Canada, for the week.

She took up the role 20 years ago after trying to hire a clown for her daughter's fifth birthday party. After three unsuccessful phone calls, she decided to learn the ropes herself and has been clowning ever since. Her daughter is also now a clown, and she married her second husband in a clown wedding ceremony.

She said: 'It's a great chance for us to all learn from each other and it builds camaraderie, turning friends into family.'

Their show at the Seagull Theatre, being performed over two nights on Wednesday and Thursday, February 7 and 8, promises jaw-dropping spectacles, laugh out loud slapstick and utter nonsense.

The show starts at 7.30pm and tickets cost £7 or £20 for a family ticket. To book visit www.theseagull.co.uk or call 01502 289726.