SIX Middlewich Firefighters have smashed their fundraising target after completing both the Manchester Marathon and half marathon this month.

Ashley Powell, Paul Leigh, Simon Calvert, Peter Daniel, Kristian Clowes and Connor Sweetman took part in the two events with the aim of raising £1,000 to split between the Firefighter Charity and MIND.

Ashley said: “On the day of the half marathon we raised about £200 but that has taken our total to £2,000.

“Our target was to raise £1,000 between the Firefighter Charity and MIND so to be able to give each charity £1,000 is brilliant.”

Ashley is no stranger to taking on challenges like this and the firefighters but half marathon had an extra layer of difficulty.

He said: “This was different than the marathon because of the extra gear we had with us.

“Running with the breathing apparatus on took the individual weight over 20kg but we all still finished the run.

“We have been doing this for about ten years now and it has become a bit of a tradition for us and we are always well supported.”

For more information and to donate more visit the

JustGiving

page.