Firefighters in marathon fundraising effort

A TEAM of 15 intrepid firefighters took part in a gruelling fundraising challenge at the weekend in aid of the Help For Hero's charity.

Every member of Scunthorpe's Green Watch donned protective gear, weighing around 12 kilograms, whilst jointly completing a marathon inside Scunthorpe's Foundry Shopping Centre.

The fundraisers wore their full fire-retardant kit, as well as helmets and breathing apparatus whilst running one kilometre stints on a treadmill on Saturday.

The challenge is just the beginning for one participant– James Reddin who is currently in training for a 10-day climb up Mount Kilimanjaro, the world's highest peak.

He said: "I'm going to be climbing Kilimanjaro in March, there are four of us doing it and although none of the guys from work are doing the climb, they decided they wanted to help me raise the money.

"My target is to reach at least £3,000.

"I'm ex-forces, I was a Royal Marine, I've been to Iraq and Sierra Leone and I still have a lot of friends in the forces which is why I chose Help for Heroes."

James has already begun his training for the mammoth climb, embarking on four-hour walks to prepare his body.

To sponsor James visit www.justgiving.com/james-reddin to make a donation online.

For the full story, buy today's Scunthorpe Telegraph.